That's Not Love
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: Kaiba has a new love interest but the trouble is that she almost destroys the world & he nearly kills himself...Can love win out in the end or is it doomed to fail? Kaiba/OC
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I am not a romanticist, but this idea kept bugging me. So enjoy and tell me what you think._

_**Rated M just in case.**_

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**Chapter One**

Alyssa sighed as Mokuba beat her again in his favorite video game. She just let him win because she didn't want to make him look bad. He didn't seem to care, he just thought he had skill, which he did, but she was better.

"Okay, no more games." she muttered, setting her controller down. "I wonder what's taking your brother so long."

"Work." Mokuba said. "He's working on a new idea to show to your uncle, Alyssa."

Alyssa nodded and sat back on the couch. She had become Mokuba's babysitter because Seto didn't want him to be alone for so long and Mokuba hated the guards. She had to admit, being paid extra for babysitting was nice.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Mokuba asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "Whatever you want to do."

Mokuba thought about it for a second. "How about-?"

He was interrupted by Seto coming in the mansion. Alyssa sat forward once more and looked at him. He seemed tired and ticked. He barely even looked at her or Mokuba before disappearing into his home office.

"He seems mad." Mokuba said, standing up. "I wonder why."

"Well, don't do anything to make him madder." Alyssa warned, getting her purse and standing up too. "I work for him, remember?"

"Okay…" Mokuba mumbled, staring at the closed door of his big brother's office.

Alyssa sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to figure out what's wrong with him tomorrow morning. Okay?"

"I guess so." Mokuba agreed quietly.

"Good. Now you better run off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mokuba gave her a hug around her waist seeing as he was shorter than her by several inches before he ran off. Alyssa took one last look at the office door before leaving.

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"Seto? Earth to Seto." Alyssa said, standing in front of the motionless Seto. "Are you in there Seto?"

Seto snapped out of his reverie. "What?" he asked.

"I was asking you if you were alright." Alyssa stated, cocking her head to one side as she studied him with her emerald green eyes.

"I'm fine." Seto muttered.

"Well, you weren't last night." Alyssa pointed out. "And Mokuba and I were getting kind of worried about you."

"I'm fine. Business is just getting tough."

"Want me to work my charms?" Alyssa asked, sitting on the corner of his desk. "Because you know I will do that, just to get some pesky bosses off your back."

"No, I don't want you to concern yourself with my problems."

"Seto, when it comes to the business, your problems are mine because we work for the same business." Alyssa pointed out. "So, you can let me help you."

"Can't. Too complicated." Seto muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Just do what you normally do at work."

"Alright…Pegasus is coming today at 2 for that meeting about your new game system." Alyssa said, looking at her notepad.

"Why can't your uncle just look over it and email me his answer?" Seto asked, looking at her.

Alyssa shrugged. "I guess he thinks that would be less personal…Do you really want to get one of his emails? They always have a Toon Monster dancing on the screen…"

"I remember them…" Seto muttered, suppressing the urge to shiver in disgust. "Fine, I'll see him, but he better make it a fast meeting. My schedule's packed."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do." Alyssa promised, walking out of his office.

_Finally! _Seto thought, pulling up some non-business things on his computer.

"Oh and Seto," Alyssa said, popping her head back into his office causing him to jump in surprise. "We're having sesame seed chicken and fried rice tonight. Interested?"

"I'll be late tonight, but save me some." Seto muttered, glancing at her. "Now, run along and do whatever it is you do…"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and left again. Seto sighed in relief. All he wanted her to do was leave him alone for awhile. Just a little while and he'd be fine. Well…as long as she never found out what was going on…he'd be fine.

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"So, you see Pegasus, this new gaming system is far better than the last one." Seto finished explaining to the man in the red suit across from him. "Is that clear enough for you?"

"Yes Kaiba boy. I heard all of that in your proposal. Did Alyssa help you come up with the idea?" Pegasus asked, looking at Kaiba with one eye.

"She did. You got a problem with that?" Kaiba asked, looking at him.

"No. Of course I don't. She's my niece and I'm glad that you work so well with her." Pegasus said, smirking. "So, when are you planning on asking her out?"

"WHAT!?!" Kaiba exclaimed, almost jumping out of his seat.

"I asked you when you're going to ask my niece out." Pegasus stated, crossing his legs.

"Never." Kaiba said, crossing his arms. "She's my colleague and a friend. That's it."

"Sure it is…" Pegasus smirked. "But she's attractive right?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kaiba asked. "She's your niece for crying out loud!"

"I find her to be a very attractive person." Pegasus said. "As do many of the other men she works with. Women also find her to be an attractive person. Do you Kaiba boy?"

"She's okay, I guess." Kaiba muttered, looking at his computer monitor. "But I'm not interested in her or anyone else at the moment."

"Oh well, a man can only hope for the best for his niece." Pegasus sighed, standing up. "So, you have my funding backing you up on your gaming system idea. Alyssa will help you get everything ready I trust."

"She will. She always does." Kaiba mumbled, typing something on his computer. "You can show yourself to the door right?"

"Yes. It was nice seeing you Kaiba boy." Pegasus said, heading for the door. "And if you change your mind about Alyssa, you have my blessing."

Kaiba nodded to show that he heard and Pegasus left the office. He walked past Alyssa's desk and walked back. She glanced up at him.

"Uncle?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I will see you later Angel." he said, giving her a hug before walking towards the elevator.

Alyssa sweat dropped and looked at Croquet. "Make sure he takes it easy on the wine today." she whispered.

Croquet nodded and got in the elevator with Pegasus. Alyssa sighed and leaned back in her seat. _Why can't I have normal relatives? _she asked herself. _Oh well… _She glanced at her watch. She was due for her lunch hour. She stood up and glanced at the door to Kaiba's office thinking about whether or not she should tell him that she was leaving. She decided not to. He really didn't seem in the mood for distractions, so she grabbed her jacket and headed down the stairs.

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Alyssa's lunch consisted of a Diet Coke bought from a little run down store. She just walked around town, trying to come up with something she could do for the rest of her lunch hour. None came to mind.

"Hey Alyssa!!!" someone called.

Alyssa turned around and almost shrieked when she was picked up and swung around in a tight hug. "Joey?"

"That's me." the boy said, swinging her around. He smiled his boyish smile. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Alyssa agreed, smiling at him.

"C'mon man that's not fair. You can't have her to yourself you know!" Tristan declared, running over. As soon as Alyssa's feet found the ground again, Tristan picked her up in a bone crushing hug. "How ya doing?"

"I'm fine." Alyssa gasped. "But I'm losing the feeling in several places of my body."

"Sorry." Tristan said, putting her down.

"It's alright." Alyssa muttered, straightening her shirt. She glanced at the two other people who had joined them. "Hey Yugi, Tea."

"Hey Alyssa." Yugi said.

Alyssa smirked and grabbed him in a bear hug. Tristan and Joey got an idea and crushed the two of them in a group hug. Tea watched them.

"I hang out with idiots…" Tea muttered, sweat dropping.

"We didn't forget about you!" Tristan said, reaching over and pulling her into the group hug.

Alyssa loosened her grip on Yugi and sighed. "So besides hugging me to death, what are you guys doing here?" Alyssa asked.

Tristan and Joey pulled away from the rest of the group, allowing them to get the much needed oxygen. Alyssa looked at them and noticed how Joey had gotten all red in the face. She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting to see what they'd say.

"Um…can't we just hang out with our bestest friend in the world?" Joey asked, looking at her, a small smile on his face.

"Um…I guess that would be okay…" Alyssa said, nodding slightly.

Tristan slapped the back of Joey's head. "C'mon man!" he exclaimed. "That's not why you drug us all the way here! Just ask her the damn question that you want to ask!"

Joey glowered at him for a second.

"Joey? What do you want to ask me?" Alyssa asked.

Joey looked back at her before looking down at his feet. "Would you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

Alyssa's eyes widened in surprise. She had not expected that.

"Joey, I…I have to think about it." Alyssa whispered, watching him curse himself under his breath. "Listen, I'll call you when I know my answer."

"Okay…" Joey muttered, still looking at his shoes.

Alyssa looked at the others before walking off towards the KC building. She was glad for once that her lunch hour was over.

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An employee from another level of the building handed Alyssa a report that she'd have to show to Kaiba later. She sighed and walked over to her desk, glancing at the pictures of her parents, who had been dead for as long as she could remember. Her eyes landed on the pictures of her and Pegasus, who'd been there since her parents had died. He wasn't the perfect uncle, but he tried to be. And then there were the pictures of her and the Yugi gang and her and Mokuba, but none of the pictures had her and Kaiba.

She shook her head and collected her memo pad. There were tones of messages from partners of Kaiba Corp and scheduled meetings times, practically everything a secretary had to deal with. She dropped her purse and walked towards the closed doors of Kaiba's office. She let them hiss open and stood there in shock.

"Um…Mr. Kaiba, you have a meeting in 5 minutes, so I'd get yourself together and kick this shameless whore out of here." Alyssa said, glaring at him and his half undressed friend. "And the Harunos want you to have a video conference after that." She turned her back on them. "Goodbye whores."

She walked back to her desk before Seto or his 'friend' could say anything to her. She threw her memo pad on her desk and grabbed her cell phone from her back jeans pocket. She dialed a number and waited for the person to pick up.

"Hello?" Joey asked.

"Hey Joey, it's me." Alyssa said, looking out of the window at Domino City. "I've got my answer for you."

"What?" Joey questioned, sounding surprised that she had come to a decision that fast.

"Yes…I'll be your girlfriend." Alyssa stated, smiling slightly.

"Really?"

"Really."

She glanced back at Kaiba's office doors, smirking at the girl who ran out of them, her clothes and hair looking completely disheveled. The girl shot her a death glare before walking towards the elevator. Alyssa heard Joey ask if she was available on Saturday.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Alyssa said. "Bye." She hung up and looked at the office doors once more. This time Seto was there, buttoning his shirt.

"Sorry you had to see that." Seto muttered, looking at her.

_No you're not, _Alyssa thought. She nodded. "The Fuukais are in the elevator now." she muttered. "So, get yourself decent and wow them."

Seto nodded and walked back into his office. He stuck his head back out of it. "And I am NOT a whore." he growled.

Alyssa nodded and he pulled his head back into his office before the doors chopped it off.

_No, you're not a whore, _Alyssa thought, sitting at her desk huffily. _You're a man whore!_

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After babysitting Mokuba from 8 to 11, Alyssa walked into her apartment. Her cousin, Carrie was already there. The blond looked up at her older cousin's face and sighed.

"What's wrong now?" Carrie asked.

Alyssa shrugged and draped her jacket over a chair. "The same old shit." she muttered. "I walked in on Seto conducting business with another whore."

"Oh, that makes 5 this week." Carrie said, sitting up on the purple overstuffed couch. "That man gets around."

"I don't even want to think about that man right now…" Alyssa stated.

Carrie glanced at the TV as the reporter on it started talking about Kaiba's success this week. She saw Alyssa stiffen and grabbed the remote, turning the TV off as Seto's picture was shown.

"Sorry about that." Carrie apologized.

"It's alright…" Alyssa sighed, sinking into the purple overstuffed arm chair. "I won't be bugged by that man anymore like that again…easy solution came today…"

"Ooh…what?" Carrie asked.

"I got asked out by Joey Wheeler." Alyssa said.

"No way."

"Way. And I agreed."

"NO WAY!!!"

"Way."

Carrie leapt forward and put her hand on Alyssa's forehead. Alyssa sighed and watched her.

"You don't have a fever…" Carrie muttered, removing her hand and rocking back onto her knees. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"I'm fine." Alyssa said.

"But you agreed to date Joey! There's no 'Seto' or 'Kaiba' in Joey Wheeler!" Carrie exclaimed.

"So?"

"You like Seto, right?"

"Not after what I learned about him." Alyssa said, looking away from her cousin's green eyes.

"But you don't like Joey…"

"I like him enough to make this work."

"But that's not love."

"I can learn…"

"Alyssa, Joey's a good guy and I don't want you to hurt him and yourself in your lie..."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone." Alyssa whispered, looking at her. "Especially Joey. So don't worry about me or him. We'll be fine…"

Carrie sighed and stood up. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Alyssa said, giving her a half smile. "Now go to bed."

Carrie nodded and walked off towards her room. "G'night."

Alyssa waited until she heard Carrie's door snap shut before putting her face in her hands. She had no clue how she was going to make this new relationship work, but she knew that she had to. Or she'd never be able to escape the hole she had put herself in.

"I love Joey Wheeler…" she whispered into her hands. "Only Joey Wheeler…"

The words didn't seem right though, but she didn't care as she drug herself to her room and closed the door.

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_A/N: All right, if any one calls Alyssa a Mary Sue I will have to hurt you. I will sick Summoned Skull on you and he will make you take it back. Please review me! I love to hear what you think about the story._


	2. Chapter 2

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**Chapter Two**

Joey had his arm around Alyssa's shoulders on Saturday as they exited the movie theater. She didn't complain. By now, she had gotten used to the idea of being 'Joey's girl' and didn't care if he called her that. She nodded when he talked about how funny one actor had been in the movie.

"So, where do you want to go next, Aly?" Joey asked, looking at her.

Alyssa shrugged. "We could take a walk through the park and swing a little while." she suggested.

"Swing?" Joey asked. "You swing?"

"Hey! I'm allowed having my childish moments!" Alyssa declared, smiling slightly. "And now I'm going to have one and say that you can't catch me!" She ran off.

"He-he…Joey Wheeler likes the thrill of the chase!" Joey said before dashing after her.

Alyssa laughed as she glanced over her shoulder as she ran towards the park. She ran into someone and nearly fell, but found herself held in their arms. She looked up and saw that it was Kaiba who she had ran into. She backed out of his arms.

"Um…sorry Kaiba…" she muttered, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't see you there…"

"Obviously." Kaiba said, looking at her with his ocean blue eyes.

"Hey Rich Boy, what are you doing with my girl?" Joey asked, stopping next to Alyssa.

"Your girl?" Kaiba questioned.

"Yes. My girl." Joey stated, wrapping his arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

"We were just talking, Joey." Alyssa said, not taking her eyes off of Kaiba. "I accidentally ran into him because I wasn't looking…"

"This is one of your little jokes, isn't it Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm not joking!" Joey declared.

Kaiba smirked. "Sure you're not." he scoffed. "Alyssa, are you Wheeler's girl?"

Alyssa smirked. "Yes. I am Joey's girlfriend." she stated.

The smirk of Kaiba's face instantly vanished. "What? When did that happen?"

"Thursday afternoon, he asked and I agreed." Alyssa informed him. "But of course, I forgot to tell you that on Friday, so be glad I'm telling you now." She looked at Joey fondly. "Let's go, Joey."

The two walked past Kaiba, smiling slightly. Alyssa looked over her shoulder and saw the look on Kaiba's face. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of it when he got the chance to talk to her.

"Come on, Aly, I'll push you." Joey said, steering her over to the swings.

Alyssa smiled and got on the swing, letting him push her. She forgot about Kaiba as she enjoyed the afternoon with her new boyfriend.

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Two hours later, Alyssa walked into her apartment, smiling happily. Carrie stared at her.

"Who are you and what did you do with my cousin?" she asked teasingly.

"I'm your cousin on a good day." Alyssa announced, tossing her jacket and cell phone onto the coffee table.

"So, how was your first date with Joey?" Carrie asked. "And how much sugar did he let you have?"

"It was great and I only had one diet soda on the whole date." Alyssa informed her. "Now, where'd you hide my chocolate bars?"

"In the cabinet above the fridge." Carrie said.

Alyssa nodded and headed into the kitchen/dining room to get the said chocolate bars. Carrie followed her.

"Mai's gonna hate you, you know that, right?" she asked, leaning against the cupboard door.

"Why would she hate me?" Alyssa asked, reaching easily into the cabinet and pulling out a handful of large chocolate Hershey bars.

"Because she likes Joey, even though she'd never openly admit it." Carrie stated, rolling her eyes at Alyssa's lack of knowledge in the gang's personal life. "She'll be absolutely pissed when she finds out that you stole her Joey."

"She's not the only one." Alyssa said, taking a bite of chocolate. Carrie looked confused. "We ran into Kaiba on our way to the park and when I told him the good news, he looked like he could kill someone." She looked thoughtful for a second. "Maybe he actually will."

"Okay…" Carrie muttered. "Anyway, will you be good while I'm gone?"

"I'm the one who's supposed to be worried about you. I'm older than you." Alyssa reminded her, waving a careless hand. "But yes, I will be fine while you go on your date with Yugi."

Carrie's face turned a bright shade of red. "We're not dating!" she exclaimed. "We're hanging out together with Tristan, Joey, and Tea!"

"Yes, but you still like him and he likes you." Alyssa pointed out. "And that makes Tea absolutely livid when you're around."

"Shut up!"

Alyssa smirked as Carrie ran out of the apartment. She walked over to the door and locked it. _She better have her keys or she can stay out there until tomorrow, _she thought, walking back to her room with her candy.

She looked through her messages on her laptop and deleted several spam ones. Kaiba Corp ones she opened and marked down the important information before deleting them. There were two from her uncle which she refused to open, seeing as she'd be moving back in with him next week when Carrie moved in with Mai, taking all the furniture she could.

"_Boring!_" Alyssa yawned, stretching as she turned her laptop off. "I'm bored!"

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The door to Alyssa's apartment opened an hour later. She had her back to the person as she sang and danced to the music that was playing, giving them full view to her black booty shorts and red spaghetti strap shirt. She turned, singing into the remote of the stereo and saw him. Her eyes widened and she turned the stereo off.

"What are you doing here Seto?" she asked, tossing the remote aside. "And how did you get in here?"

Kaiba twirled a set of keys around on his finger. "That's how." he said.

"Damn! I knew I should have changed the lock!" Alyssa exclaimed, crossing her arms. "This isn't fair! This isn't cool! This is just plain wrong!"

"Are you through?" Kaiba questioned.

Alyssa glared at him. "Yes."

"Good, because I didn't come here to listen to you complain." Kaiba said. "If I wanted to do that, I would have gone to Yugi's house."

"What do you want?" Alyssa asked.

"I wanted to inform you that you made the biggest mistake of your life when you agreed to date Wheeler." Kaiba stated, putting his hands in his silver jacket pockets.

"How was that a mistake?"

"You gave up so many possibilities of finding someone better than that lame dog."

"You mean I gave up on finding someone as rich and stuck up as you instead of finding someone that makes me happy." Alyssa argued.

"That's not what I said. You could be happy with someone better than Wheeler and you wouldn't be doing more charity work than you already do."

"Kaiba, have you thought for just one second that I might actually like Joey?" Alyssa questioned. "Because I do. I honestly do."

Kaiba smirked. "That's not what I'm seeing now."

"What?"

"You're lying to me."

Alyssa shook her head. "I am not."

"Alyssa," Kaiba said, walking closer to her. "I work with you. I see you lie all the time to the faces of men at work. Your eyes become duller and your body movements," his eyes slid down her body before looking into her eyes again. "Become stiffer. But that's not noticeable to someone who hasn't seen you practically everyday."

"I'm going out with Joey Wheeler and I am happy doing so." Alyssa said, knowing her voice sounded less strong than she wanted it to.

Kaiba smiled slightly and leaned forward. "Alyssa, you're lying and you know it." he whispered. "You know you deserve better."

Alyssa straightened to her full 5'11" height as his face got dangerously close. She could smell the brandy on his breath. "I'm perfectly happy with him, Kaiba." she stated. "And I think the only reason you're mad is because you haven't been in my pants yet." Kaiba stared at her. "Doesn't it just drive you mad that you might be beat to that by Wheeler?"

"Alyssa…"

"I hope it does because that means he is so much better than the man who has whores everyday at his office, where his younger brother can easily witness it." Alyssa said, smirking. "Really, what kind of role model are you trying to be for the next heir of Kaiba Corporation?"

Kaiba looked like she had slapped him across the face. "I'm trying to help you see that you're jeopardizing all your potential." he declared.

"No you're not! You're just trying to make me one of your whores again!" Alyssa yelled, pushing him away from her. "I wasn't going to fall for that the first time and I'm definitely not going to fall for it now!"

Kaiba looked surprised at her.

"Get out before I call my uncle and security!" Alyssa ordered. "I don't want to see you again until Monday morning!"

Kaiba shot one last hungry look at her before he left the apartment. Alyssa stomped over to the door and locked it again. She sighed and leaned against it, remembering her interview with him for the secretary job.

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_**Flashback…**_

_Alyssa watched Kaiba read her resume at her interview for the secretary/ personal assistant job. She knew that she had a much better one than all the other girls because she had done more than all of them. She had many offers for better paying jobs with different corporations, but she only wanted to work for her old best friend._

"_Well, Alyssa," Kaiba said, setting her resume aside. "You seem to have more potential than any other person I saw today…What makes you want to work under me?"_

"_I want to try something new and I know I'd be a good personal assistant." Alyssa replied, smiling brightly._

_Kaiba grabbed his laptop and handed it to her. "I have a program on here called 'Death of Moto' and I haven't had time to work on it, so I want you to finish programming it for me." He also handed her a sheet of paper. "And these are the things you must include."_

_Alyssa nodded as she scanned the sheet. "I can do this."_

"_We'll see." Kaiba said, getting up and leaving her to do her work._

_The programming of that program would have been very hard for someone else, but Alyssa finished programming it in less than an hour. Kaiba browsed through it and looked impressed._

"_You're good, for a girl." he commented, setting the laptop aside. "But of course I wouldn't expect less from the niece of Pegasus and an old friend."_

_Alyssa smiled. "I'm not that old…" she said._

"_No, you're not." He put his arm around her. "Now, you know there's more to the personal assistant job than just taking calls and programming computers."_

_Alyssa gulped and looked at his hand which was dangerously close to her breast. "Uh… like what?"_

_He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards his. "Like this." he said, leaning in to kiss her._

_Alyssa smelled alcohol on his breath and pulled back before their lips met. "I can't…I won't do that to get a job like this." she said, standing up. "I'm not that kind of person Seto."_

_Kaiba looked up at her. "I know you're not…" he muttered. "But is there a chance that you could be?"_

"_No. Never." Alyssa stated boldly, crossing her arms._

_Kaiba sighed and stood up. "Then, you can have the job." Kaiba announced, smiling slightly. _

"_Really?" Alyssa asked, looking shocked._

"_Yes." Kaiba said._

_Alyssa was so happy that she gave him a hug which he returned, but she remembered what had happened just moments before and backed away from him._

_**End Flashback…**_

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Alyssa walked into the kitchen and grabbed the gallon container of chocolate ice cream and a spoon. She headed back into the living room and sat down on the purple overstuffed arm chair and turned the TV on. She lucked out because Doctor Who was on (the one with Christopher Eccleston) and she loved Doctor Who.

"Life sucks." she said to no one in particular.

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Carrie skipped happily towards Yugi and the gang. Right now, they were distracted by Joey talking loudly about how his date with Alyssa had been. She snuck up on Yugi and pounced on him.

"How ya doing, Yugi?" she asked, arms wrapped around her neck. "Or Yami. Which ever of the two you are."

Yugi pried her arms away from his neck and made her fall to the ground on her ass. She sighed as he turned around to reveal his dark crimson eyes.

"Oh…it's the latter…" Carrie complained, getting to her feet. "That's great."

Yami rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Who else were you expecting?" he asked.

"Santa Claus." Carrie said, dusting the bottom of her denim skirt off. "My boyfriend, you dolt."

"Sorry, but he got annoyed by Joey." Yami informed her. "I'm starting to regret trading places with him." He looked over at Joey.

"I kept waiting for her to say that she was joking about dating me or that she didn't want to date me anymore, but you know what?" Joey said, looking at Tristan and Tea. "She didn't! She actually likes me!"

Carrie sweat dropped. "You have a point…" she muttered.

"So, do you want me to bring Yugi back out here?" Yami questioned.

"Nah…I guess I need to talk to you more than I need to him right now." Carrie said, glancing at Joey again. "Maybe inside where we can't hear him…"

Yami nodded and opened the door to Mr. Moto's store for her. Carrie walked into the store, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer light.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" Yami asked, letting the door close behind him.

"I think Alyssa is lying to herself and Joey when she says she loves him." Carrie muttered, looking at various Duel Monsters card packs. "I also think she's just doing it to get back at Kaiba for being such a man whore."

Yami nodded and jumped onto the checkout counter. "She used to like Kaiba."

"As far as I know, where ever Kaiba was, she was there as well." Carrie said, crossing her arms. "And I don't think that this is something that can change in a ten minute time span."

"Kaiba has been known to fool around with a lot of people over the past couple of years." Yam pointed out. "She could have given up on him."

"That doesn't sound like my cousin." Carrie muttered. "She never gives up on something and now I'm afraid that she's going to hurt more than just herself this time. Now Joey's added to the mix and I don't want to see him get hurt because she got mad at her crush."

"And you want me to help how?"

"I want you to talk to her and keep an eye on her when she's with Joey and the gang." Carrie stated. "She listens to you more than me."

Yami nodded and looked straight ahead. "I guess Yugi and I can help you."

"Thank you!" Carrie exclaimed, giving him a big hug.

Yami rolled his eyes when she refused to let go of him. _It's your turn to come out and suffer, Yugi, _he thought.

There was a flash of bright light and Yugi was the one being hugged by Carrie. He returned it happily.

"YAY!!! My boyfriend's out now!" Carrie shouted, nearly deafening him. "I'm so happy for me!"

"Okay…" Yugi said. "But I can't feel my feet."

"Sorry." Carrie apologized.

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_A/N: REVIEW ME or die…you people make me very sad…so please review or you die! (not really)_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: No one reviewed me, but I think that they are scared to. Don't worry, if you read this and review me, I won't bite your head off._

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**Chapter 3**

Alyssa listened to her heels click on the polished floor of the KC building as she headed for the nearest elevator on Monday. She had calmed down with the help of funny British and American TV shows and a gallon of chocolate ice cream. She was sure that she could hold her tongue when she saw Kaiba again. Well… almost sure.

"Hey, Kathy." she said to the blue haired woman that stepped out of the elevator.

"Alyssa…" Kathy muttered.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and stepped in the elevator, pressing the level 60 button. The doors started closing but someone stuck their silver briefcase in it and caused the doors to open long enough for him to get in. Alyssa stiffened and looked away from him.

"Alyssa." Kaiba said in a tense voice.

"Mr. Kaiba." she mumbled, looking at her reflection in the shiny elevator metal wall. "How's Mokuba?"

"He's fine."

"That's good." Alyssa stated, watching the numbers going up as they ascended to the top. She wanted the elevator to move faster, but it wouldn't.

Kaiba reached over and pressed a red button and the elevator came to an abrupt halt between levels. Alyssa stood there, watching him in the dim light of the emergency lights. She could see him battling with his inner feelings and hoped that he wouldn't do anything that they'd both regret later.

"Are you trying to prove a point?" Kaiba asked, keeping his back to her.

"About what?" Alyssa asked, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

"I don't know."

"Then why bring it up?"

Kaiba turned to face her. "Why are you torturing me?"

Alyssa blinked. "Me torturing you? You're the one who's been torturing me and yourself." she stated. "And not to mention the countless girls you sneak into the office or the mansion or that hotel that keeps calling saying that they found an article of clothing that belongs to you or some woman you brought there."

"Don't bring my personal life into this conversation." Kaiba ordered.

"But Kaiba, it's no longer your personal life. It's part of your business, too. You sleep with a number of girls in your office, you charge the hotel fares on the business credit card, and you have slept with a number of partnering business women."

"I am not as bad as you make me out to be." Kaiba muttered.

"You're worse than you were when we were younger." Alyssa pointed out. "Remember how everyone voted on the biggest geek, the hottest couple, most trendy person, and stuff like that? Well you won the biggest slut title two years in a row and I kept wondering why until I saw how many different girls you had on your arm every day of the week."

"Alyssa, shut up or you'll lose your job." Kaiba threatened.

Alyssa opened her mouth to say something else, but the thought of losing her job caused her to close it again. She knew that her uncle would make sure that Kaiba could not fire her, but she wasn't going to let Kaiba see that she had to depend on her uncle when things got tough. She wasn't going to be someone helpless that he could mess around with, either. She looked away from him once more.

"There are so many things that you don't know." Kaiba said, pushing the button once more, causing the elevator to shudder back into life. "But you should know some of them by just observing."

Alyssa looked down at her feet. _I don't want to know anything about you, _she thought. _You're not the boy I knew so long ago. You're not the man I used to love…You're just some stranger with his face and his voice._

Kaiba glanced down at her. "But then again, maybe you should know nothing."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa skipped lunch when her regular lunch hour came up. She didn't feel hungry at all and knew that she couldn't blame it on the yogurt smoothie she had eaten this morning. She could hardly blame it on anyone except Seto and her inner self. She heard a whistle and looked up to find a bouquet of white roses in her face.

"Uh…Joey?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Surprise Ms. I Look Down Today!" he said, smiling. "Now let me see you smile."

Alyssa smiled slightly and took the roses from him. She kissed him on the cheek, which caused him to become bright red in the face. The roses went into a vase that had once held pink roses from her uncle.

"So, what are you doing here?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm just making sure Rich Boy doesn't cause you anymore trouble about you and me." Joey declared, sitting across from her in a spinning chair.

_Then you're a few hours too late, _Alyssa thought. "Well, he hasn't really given me any grief about it. Just snide comments and stuff like that." Alyssa lied, glancing at her computer monitor and the ever increasing amount of messages from everyone in the office it seemed like. "Nothing really big that I should worry about."

"Okay. If it gets worse, don't be afraid to tell me because I'll deal with the snobby Rich Boy." Joey said, spinning around and around on the chair. "Wee!!! Now I see why you like working here. These seats are fun to spin around in."

Alyssa smiled and watched him spin around for a couple more minutes. She glanced at the elevator doors when she heard the ding of the levels going up.

"Joey, stop. You're going to get me in more trouble than I already am." Alyssa warned, glaring at him.

Joey stopped and rested his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand, looking like that one thinking statue. "_More _trouble?" he asked.

"Yes. More trouble. I'm in trouble for dating someone before Kaiba tested the water, so to speak."

Joey made a face and looked over his shoulder when a redheaded broad came walking out of it, wearing a skimpy leopard print outfit. She was obviously heading towards Kaiba's office.

Alyssa sighed and pressed a button on her phone. "Mr. Kaiba, Ms. Chase is here to see you." she said, knowing that girl's name from a magazine.

"Thank you, Alyssa." he replied before his end went silent.

Alyssa watched the redhead walk through the doors of Kaiba's office with a triumphant smirk on her face. It irked her to think about how many other women had passed through those doors, expecting the same thing, but ended up being treated like the whore she let herself become.

"Are you okay, Aly?" Joey asked, watching her.

Alyssa looked at him. "Yes. I'm fine. Just was out of it for a second." she muttered, feeling her fake smile come onto her face like she was about to convince a group of business men that they should sponsor and purchase Kaiba Corp technology. "So, I was thinking that maybe tomorrow we could spend my lunch hour around town or something."

"Can't." Joey said. "I promised I'd take Serenity shopping tomorrow and treat her to lunch."

"Oh…that's nice." Alyssa mumbled, looking back at her computer monitor, seriously considering hacking into the utilities and cutting off the power to the whole building so Kaiba would flip. "Your sister is…very lucky to have a brother like you."

Joey put his hand over hers. "Maybe we could spend Wednesday afternoon together." he suggested in a soft voice.

"That would be great." Alyssa said, looking at him with a warm smile on her face.

"Then it's settled." Joey declared, getting to his feet. "We're hanging out on Wednesday and there's nothing Rich Boy can do about it."

Alyssa nodded. _Except fire me, _she thought.

Joey made to take the chair with him to the elevator.

"Joey, that's not yours." Alyssa said.

"But can't I keep it?" Joey asked, giving her his big puppy dog eyes.

Alyssa shook her head. "But maybe if you be a good boy this year, I'll buy you a better one for Christmas."

"Alright then." Joey said, pushing the chair back over and leaning over, kissing her.

Alyssa was startled by the gentle kiss. She stared at him wide eyed and he winked.

"See ya later, Aly!" he called, heading over to the elevator.

"Yeah. Bye." Alyssa breathed, watching him until he was gone. "Wow…that was odd…" she muttered once she was sure that he was gone.

The second elevator opened and Mokuba came walking out. He looked over at Alyssa and smiled.

"Hey, Alyssa!" he exclaimed, waving. He continued walking towards his brother's office.

"Mokuba!" Alyssa almost shouted, causing him to stop. She hardly realized that she was on her feet now. "Don't go in there!"

"Why not?" Mokuba asked, looking shocked at her outburst.

Alyssa shook her head and sank back into her seat. "Please, just don't go in there." she begged. "Your brother's being….stupid again."

"Oh…" Mokuba said, realizing what she was talking about. He sighed. "He's always doing that now."

Alyssa nodded and returned to her computer.

"He really shouldn't and I know he knows that, but he just does…"

Alyssa looked over at him. "You can play a game on my computer if you want." she offered.

Mokuba shook his head and set a file folder on her desk. "I should go." he muttered, heading back for the elevator. "Give him that for me, please."

Alyssa nodded and watched him vanish into the elevator. She glanced at the door to Kaiba's office and frowned. She knew that Ms. Chase would be coming out in another 45 minutes and would not be seen again in this building.

_Stupid Kaiba, _she thought, turning back to her computer._ You're hurting more people than you think. All those women you turned into whores, your own brother, and yourself. And continuing to do this will cause more issues than you can handle, even if you use a condom._

She shook her head at that thought and answered her phone which had been ringing for awhile.

"Kaiba Corporations, how may I help you?" she asked in a flat voice.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie was busy wrestling with Yami while everyone except Joey watched to notice Alyssa walking home. It was Tristan who saw her first and ran across the street to greet her. She ignored him and continued staring at the sidewalk as she walked.

"Alyssa?" he asked, looking down at her.

She glanced at him and let a small smile pull at the ends of her lips. "Hey, Tristan." she whispered. "What's up?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Tristan said, walking next to her. "But since you asked, nothing's up with me except for the fact that I'm concerned about my best friend. Your turn."

"I feel like shit and I don't know why." Alyssa admitted, kicking a soda can out of her way. "Joey came and gave me roses and that made me happy for like 5 minutes, but then…crappy mood came back."

Tristan nodded and shoved his hands in his brown jacket pockets. Alyssa lapsed back into silence and continued walking with him.

"So, do you still like Kaiba or something?" Tristan asked suddenly.

"No…after everything he's done, how could anyone like him?" Alyssa whispered.

"Do you really like Joey, though?"

Alyssa nodded. "I agreed to go out with him because I like him."

Tristan grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "You've been hurt by someone you had a crush on and now, you're with someone who actually cares, but if anything ever happens in that relationship that hurts you…I'll be there for you one hundred percent of the way."

Alyssa smiled slightly. "I know you will be because you're a great friend. But I don't think Joey will hurt me in any way."

Tristan nodded and pulled her into a tight hug. He wasn't about to let her see the doubt that was shining in his eyes. _Let's hope he doesn't or I'm afraid your heart will be broken beyond repair, _he thought.

Across the street, Carrie was now beating up Duke, who had popped out of nowhere. Yami stood up and looked across the street, spotting Tristan hugging Alyssa. He had heard their entire conversation while Carrie had been beating the pulp out of him.

_**Do you think something's going on between them?**_Yugi asked.

_Yugi, she's dating Joey. Even Tristan would know better than to steal Joey's girlfriend, _Yami reminded him.

_**But something's up.**_

_Alyssa is hiding something and it seems Tristan is, too, in order to protect Joey. And we need to find out what that is. Even if they don't want us to._

_**Alyssa's not gonna like that…**_

_She'll get used to it. And it might help her._

Alyssa glanced over in the group's general direction and saw that Yami was staring at her. She gave a little wave before pulling away from Tristan and mumbling her goodbyes. She started heading home again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I like it when Tristan is concerned. He's so sweet! Review me or I will make it so that you experience the un-sweet Tristan!!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N:_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Four**

Alyssa sighed as she walked around the KC building on Tuesday. All the girls in the building were excited about something and she had no clue what that was. But she had a feeling that she was about to find out seeing as Kathy was coming towards her, holding a bowl of paper slips.

"Write your name down and get a chance to win the most awesome prize ever!" Kathy exclaimed, holding out a paper slip.

Alyssa sighed and wrote her name. "What's the prize again?" she asked, dropping the slip into the bowl after folding it.

"You'll see eventually." Kathy promised, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Please tell me!" Alyssa begged.

"No. You'll get an email before the day is over." Kathy said, walking away.

"Kathy, you're an evil woman!" Alyssa called after her. "I'm telling your brother on you!"

"Go ahead! Keith won't do anything to stop me!" Kathy shouted back before she disappeared down another hall, looking for other girls.

"What is she planning?" Alyssa asked no one in particular.

"Good question." Kaiba said from behind her, causing her to jump.

"You don't know!?!" Alyssa asked, shocked that something in the office had gone unnoticed by him.

"Obviously I don't because I'm asking you what's going on." Kaiba stated, glaring down at her.

"I don't know. This wasn't in any email that I got for the business." Alyssa admitted, crossing her arms. "And I bet if I checked now, there still wouldn't be any email about this 'prize drawing' and we'd still be clueless."

"Do you know anything about this?" Kaiba questioned.

"Only that the winner will be announced via email, but I don't entirely trust that's all Kathy will do to announce the lucky girl." Alyssa muttered, shaking her head. "It's all very boring and sounds like something we used to do in high school."

Kaiba nodded and started walking towards the elevator. "Come on," he ordered. "I'm having a meeting with the Lees now and I could use your assistance."

Alyssa sighed and followed him. It was going to be another long day of lies and fake smiles.

_I should have devoured all the sugar in my house, _she thought. _And should have asked Bandit Keith if I could have some painkilling drugs. Actually that probably wouldn't have worked…oh well…_

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked out of the elevator two hours later and walked stiffly over to her desk. She hated herself. The Lees had been very difficult men to convince, but Kaiba had managed. With her help. _A lot _of her help. All she wanted to do now was go home and take 10 showers. All that fake smiling, shoulder rubbing, the seductive way she moved, the way she talked, all of the things that were encouraged by Kaiba in order to keep his business going strong. All of the different ways that he was using her body to make deals. It made her sick, but it was her job, and she liked all the zeros she got on her pay check.

"You look like you could use some chocolate." Carrie said, sitting at Alyssa's desk, holding out a box of chocolates.

Alyssa took it and noticed that it was from 'an old friend'. She opened it and saw that half of the chocolates were gone. She glared at Carrie who was licking the chocolate off her fingers.

"What? I was hungry!" Carrie whined.

Alyssa shook her head and took a piece of chocolate before circling around her desk and grabbing Carrie by the ear. "That's my seat, Dum-Dum." she hissed.

"Ow!! Ow!! OWOWOW!!" Carrie exclaimed, struggling in her cousin's grip. "I'm sorry! I'll get up! I give!"

Alyssa smirked and released her cousin. Carrie got up quickly and took the seat that Joey had tried to steal. Alyssa sank into her chair and rested her head on the cool surface of her desk.

"So what's eating you?" Carrie asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Alyssa muttered into the desk. "See? Absolutely fine."

"Then you're not fine." Carrie stated. "And I believe that's why Yami and I have planned to have game night at the apartment. But sadly, I can not make it because I have plans."

Alyssa sat up and stared at her. "What plans?"

"I'm meeting with Mai and we're making plans for when I move out later this week." Carrie said brightly.

Alyssa nodded and took a bite of another chocolate, finally realizing that there was liquor in the chocolate. _Someone really must love me, _she thought, taking another piece of chocolate and stuffing it in her mouth.

"So why am I having to suffer with the Pharaoh when you two planned on playing at our apartment and you're not even going to be there?"

"Uh…if I can understand half of that question, Yami wants to talk to you and this seems like the best way."

"I don't want to talk about nothing." Alyssa mumbled. "I want to be left alone until Wednesday when I'm going to be hanging out with my boyfriend."

Carrie sighed and stood up. "Those came from Bandit Keith, by the way." she said, pointing at the chocolates.

"Ooh…rays of sunshine from a tough guy, how thoughtful." Alyssa commented, smiling as she popped another piece in her mouth. "I should really think of a way to thank him for his thoughtfulness."

Carrie sweat dropped. "Are you sure that he didn't put anything in them?" she asked.

"Nope! But if he did, I love him for it!! He knows me so well!!"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep! I've got of rays of sunshine to keep me company and make me happy!" Alyssa sang, devouring the rest of the box and pulling another one out from under her desk. "So you can go and tell Yami…that I'll be seeing him soon!!!"

Carrie nodded and backed towards the elevator. "You behave!" she ordered.

"Aye-aye Captain Blondie!!" Alyssa chirped, waving at her. "Bye-bye!!"

Carrie turned when the elevator opened and ran into Seto Kaiba. She fell on her ass and rubbed her nose, glaring up at him. He glared right back at her and made no move to help her up.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking!" Carrie growled, standing up. "But my cousin, not so much." She glanced over her shoulder at Alyssa. "Keep an eye on her, please. And don't try anything funny or I'll have to hurt you."

Kaiba glanced at Alyssa and nodded. Carrie smirked and entered the elevator as he headed towards his office.

"Hello, Kaiba boy!" Alyssa called, waving. "I missed you!!!"

_Oh God, I hate Bandit Keith! _Carrie thought as the elevator doors closed.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Carrie walked out of the KC building, knowing that she'd never get the scene that happened 5 minutes ago out of her head. She started heading towards the mall, but as she rounded a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Joey was walking hand in hand with Mai Valentine and they were laughing. Carrie tried to back up without being seen, but Joey saw her and quickly lost his happy face. Mai followed his gaze and released his hand.

"Joey? Mai? Is there something you would like to tell me?" Carrie asked, crossing her arms. "Or do I have to beat it out of you? Because you know I will even if I'm wearing this skirt."

"There's nothing to tell." Mai said. "We were just hanging out like friends do all the time."

"But you were _holding hands_!" Carrie exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at them. "And _you _have a girlfriend, Joey!!"

"Yes, we were holding hands. Yes I have a wonderful girlfriend." Joey stated, looking at her calmly. "But me and Mai are just friends and the hand holding didn't mean anything."

"Do I look stupid to you?" Carrie questioned, narrowing her eyes. She thought for a second. "Wait! Don't answer that with 'you're a blonde' or something like that because you two are blonde, too!"

Mai blinked. "Are you through?"

Carrie thought about that for a moment. "Yes."

"Carrie, nothing is going on between me and Joey." Mai said, smiling. "We're just really good friends."

"And I would never do anything to hurt your cousin." Joey finished. "She means the world to me."

Mai gave him a look that said he was over doing it all. Joey smiled and scratched his head. Carrie looked between them.

"Promise me that there's nothing going on between you two." she commanded.

"I promise." Mai said.

"I cross my heart, hope to not die, please don't stick a needle in my eye." Joey said. The two girls gave him strange looks. "I promise."

Carrie nodded. She was satisfied, for now. "Well, I'll be off now. I've got to meet up with Yugi. See ya!" She ran past them.

Joey watched her disappear around another building. Mai slipped her hand back into his, but he pulled his away. He shoved his hands in his pockets and continued on his way with Mai.

Carrie peeked around the building, but saw nothing that betrayed the promise that the two had made for her. _So maybe there was nothing going on between them in the first place and I'm just paranoid, _she thought. _Oh no! I'm turning into Alyssa!!!!_

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa glanced at her clock and noticed that is was just turning seven. _Almost time to go home, _she thought, feeling a small smile creep onto her face. _And to home I go to more rays of sunshine!_

She threw her sixth box of chocolates away and checked her inbox. There were still no emails with the winner to the prize drawing.

"Probably didn't win in the first place," she muttered to herself.

The intercom beeped, making her look up.

"Okay, ladies. This is the moment you've all been waiting for!" Kathy said over the intercom. "The winner of the greatest prize ever is…Alyssa Pegasus!!!"

Alyssa sat at her desk, staring at the intercom in shock. "I won." she whispered. "But what exactly did I win?"

"And you all know what the grand prize is!" Kathy continued.

"No I don't!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"Ms. Alyssa gets to go on a romantic dinner date with the smexy CEO of KC. Our dreamy Seto Kaiba! Congrats, you two!!!"

Alyssa's mouth dropped open. She stared at the intercom. "No way!" she shouted. "This is so not happening! I don't want to go on a romantic dinner date with smexy Seto!" She looked at the boxes of chocolate in her trash. "And there are no more rays of sunshine to make my problems go bye-bye!"

She glanced at the doors to Kaiba's office as he walked out of it. He looked over at her and smirked.

"So, we're going to see each other in a way that your boyfriend won't like." Kaiba said in a mocking voice.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Alyssa asked, glaring at him.

"Maybe." Kaiba said.

"You're not nice, Mr. Smexy Man!" Alyssa growled, getting to her feet and almost falling as she grabbed her purse. "Not nice at all like rays of sunshine."

Kaiba blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Okay? Of course I'm okay!" Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Kaiba shook his head. "Walk towards me in a straight line."

"I don't want to walk towards you, Mr. Smexy CEO!" Alyssa stated. "I want to walk in the opposite direction, but there's a 60 story drop to the sidewalk. And I don't think I would survive the fall."

"Alyssa, just walk towards me."

Alyssa sighed and started walking tipsily towards him. She tripped over her own feet and fell into his arms, her face in his chest.

"Ooh…you're wearing a silk shirt today." she purred. "And you smell nice. Very nice cologne."

"That's it. You're drunk." Kaiba stated, holding her up.

"I am not!" Alyssa exclaimed. "I am sober! Sober, sober, sober! Sober!"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and helped her towards the elevator. "You need to go home." he said, pushing the first floor button.

"No! I have to baby-sit tonight!!" Alyssa argued, leaning against him. "I have to baby-sit Mokuba!"

"Mokuba can live one night without you." Kaiba stated. "Besides, you're too drunk to even stand on you own." _But who's complaining? _he thought, wrapping his arm around her waist. "So I'm going to have to drive you home."

"I can walk home." Alyssa reminded him, clearly not paying attention to the fact that she was too drunk to stand.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and looked down at her. She was leaning her head against his shoulder and smiling slightly, with her eyes closed.

"Don't fall asleep on me." Kaiba ordered.

"I'm not gonna fall asleep on you." Alyssa yawned, shaking her head and moving closer to him. "You better not fall asleep on me."

Kaiba rolled his eyes again and escorted her out of the elevator. Kathy spotted them and smiled.

"You two aren't supposed to go on any romantic dates until Friday," she said.

"She's drunk and I'm helping her out." Kaiba explained, letting Alyssa play with his necklace.

Kathy nodded and held the door open for them. "Have fun, you two!" she called after them. "And goodnight!!"

Kaiba glanced back at her before leading Alyssa towards his shiny silver Porsche. He made sure she was strapped in before getting in the driver's seat. He glanced at her as he pulled out of his reserved parking space and smirked. She was still out of it. If he really wanted to be as bad as she thought him to be, he would take her to his mansion and get her more drunk and then do something they'd both regret, but he would enjoy in the moment.

_Knock it off, Kaiba, _he thought. _She already hates your guts and you don't want to make it worse. Just keep your hands off of her and everything will be fine._

He was finding it difficult 10 minutes later when he helped her towards her apartment. She had fallen asleep in his car and had to be carried, bridal style, into the apartment building. He knocked on the door to her apartment, knowing that Carrie would still be there.

"Kaiba, what did you do to my cousin?" Carrie asked the instant she opened the door for him.

"I did nothing besides give her a ride home." Kaiba stated, walking into the apartment and towards Alyssa's room. "I am not as bad as she makes me out to be."

"No. You're worse. And you're trying to get in her pants by doing a lot of nice things for her." Carrie growled, following him into Alyssa's room.

Kaiba laid Alyssa down on her unmade bed and pulled the covers over her. He stroked her cheek before walking out of the room. "Make sure she doesn't have a hangover when she comes to work tomorrow." he ordered Carrie in a cold voice as he walked past her.

"Whatever." Carrie muttered, watching him leave. She glanced back at her sleeping cousin. "What have you gotten yourself into?" she asked.

The only reply she got was Alyssa rolling over and muttering, "The winner of the romantic dinner date with smexy Seto Kaiba is Alyssa Pegasus. Yay…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thanks to the person that reviewed. Here's the next update. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Five**

Alyssa heard a pounding somewhere and it hurt her head. She buried her face in something nice and soft…and wet. She opened her eyes and saw that her red pillow case was wet.

_Damn drool, _she thought, sitting up and scratching her head. _And since when do I sleep in my work clothes?_

She heard the pounding again and got up with a grunt. She then remembered what had happened and sighed. _I'm an idiot. A major idiot. Let's just hope that Kaiba didn't take advantage of my idiotic moment. _

The pounding got louder and harder, causing her to wince in pain.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she yelled, walking towards the door.

She opened the door and almost got hit in the face by Yami. He brought his hand back in time, though.

"What do you want?" Alyssa asked, forgetting why he was there. "'Cause Carrie's not here."

"I know that. She planned that." Yami said, walking into the apartment without permission. "We're supposed to talk."

"I don't want to talk." Alyssa grumbled, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. "I want to go get a shower and go back to bed. Where I can dream of little rays of sunshine." She looked into space for a second. "I don't have to dream because I have little rays of sunshine in my kitchen!"

Yami watched her walk towards her kitchen in the search of her 'little rays of sunshine'. He wasn't surprised when she couldn't find them and came out of the kitchen with her arms crossed. Carrie had warned him about her little drunk issue and had told him where she had hid the chocolate liquors.

"Alyssa, we need to talk." Yami stated, crossing his arms.

"She took my sunshine from me." Alyssa muttered, sitting on her overstuffed chair. "I know she did."

"I know where they are." Yami said.

"Where?" Alyssa asked, looking at him with wide eyes. "Where are my little rays of sunshine?"

"I'll tell you if you talk to me." Yami stated.

"I don't wanna talk!" Alyssa exclaimed. "I WANT MY LITTLE RAYS OF SUNSHINE!!!!!!"

Yami shook his head. "No talking, no sunshine."

Alyssa pouted and settled back in her chair. "Fine. I'll talk." she muttered. "But can I have one little ray?"

Yami sighed and reached behind the TV, pulling out a box of non liquor chocolate pieces. Alyssa's eyes widened even more as he handed her one piece which she devoured quickly. She let out a sigh of contentment and patted her belly as Yami sat down on the couch.

"So, Alyssa, do really like Joey?" Yami asked.

Alyssa looked at him. "Yes."

_**She's lying, **_Yugi said, entering the conversation.

_I know, _Yami replied, staring at Alyssa with unblinking crimson eyes. "Alyssa, you're lying to me."

"I am not." Alyssa lied, shaking her head.

_**She's lying again! **_Yugi exclaimed.

"Alyssa, you have to be truthful or you get no sunshine." Yami stated.

Alyssa looked away from him.

"So, do you honestly love Joey?" Yami questioned.

Alyssa shook her head. "No…I like him only as a friend…"

"Then why are you dating him?"

"Because…because I know that I won't be hurt by him and in time, maybe I can learn to love him…"

Yami leaned forward. "Alyssa, you know he can never be like Kaiba."

"I know Yami," Alyssa whispered. "And I don't want him to be after all that Kaiba did." She looked at him. "I don't want to walk into Joey's house and see him fucking some girl like I used to see when I walked into Kaiba's office. I know he would never do that to me."

Yami nodded. "He wouldn't. But still, you're using Joey to make yourself feel better. And you know that's wrong."

Alyssa sighed and hung her head in shame. "I'm not going to hurt Joey." she mumbled. "But I'm not going to give up on him easily."

"But you still love Kaiba and that will never change, no matter how many whores he parades in your face."

Alyssa closed her eyes. "I don't care. I can not love him because of what he did to my heart."

_**What did he do? **_Yugi asked, clueless.

"He broke your heart." Yami whispered, watching her.

Alyssa nodded. "I was ready to hand my heart over and he took it and broke it into tons of little pieces. It's still not healed and pieces are still missing…"

_**So all this time, she's been using Joey in hopes that he could help her repair her broken heart and Kaiba is just making it worse every time he has another woman come into his office, **_Yugi said. _**Poor Alyssa.**_

_I know, _Yami replied, holding out the box of chocolates.

Alyssa looked at them and shook her head. "I can't eat now." she muttered.

Yami nodded and set the box aside. Alyssa drew her knees close to her chest and hugged them, rocking slightly.

"Yami, why can't I ever be happy?" Alyssa asked, staring at him.

And for once, Yami did not have an answer.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie glanced at her list of things that she'd either get to keep or would have to sell when she moved in with Mai. Already, she had to get rid of Alyssa's bed, the dining room table, two desks, her overstuffed chair, the coffee table, and a lot of other furniture that she wouldn't need. She was seriously considering letting Alyssa keep her chair.

"So, should we keep the love seat or should we sell it?" Carrie asked, looking at Mai who seemed out of it.

"I want you to convince your cousin to break up with Joey." Mai said suddenly.

"What!?!" Carrie exclaimed, almost dropping her notepad.

"I didn't say anything." Mai lied.

"You just said that you want me to convince my cousin to break up with Joey." Carrie stated.

"I did not, but since we're on the subject, would you?" Mai asked.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Carrie growled.

"If you say no, then I'm kidding. If you say yes, I'm not." Mai said.

"No."

"Then I was kidding. And we should definitely sell that loveseat. It's horrendous."

Carrie blinked. "You promised me that nothing is going on between you and Joey!"

"And nothing is, sweetie," Mai said. "Not yet, anyway, and I most certainly wouldn't do it if I knew that he was still with Alyssa. She's like a sister to me."

"But you want her to break up with her boyfriend! And why exactly do you want her to?" Carrie asked.

"Because after you left, I thought about how I really feel about Joey and I don't want any other woman on his arm except for me." Mai stated. "Besides, she has Seto Kaiba to go to, and Tristan."

"Tristan's her best friend and Kaiba's a man whore." Carrie argued. "And I will not make her break up with Joey, so just deal with it."

Mai shrugged and grabbed the list, marking what should be sold and what they should keep. Carrie glared at her and crossed her arms. She was starting to doubt whether or not moving in with Mai was a good idea after all.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa had vanished into the bathroom after an uncomfortable silence settled between her and Yami. He could hear her puking her guts out through the door and sighed.

_**I think we made her feel worse, **_Yugi said, standing next to Yami.

_We might have, but she needs to get that liquor out of her system anyway, _Yami pointed out.

"Yami, I'm sorry I'm such bad company." Alyssa muttered, leaning against the door. "But I am glad that you're here and helped me realize that I'm hurting more people than I thought…"

Yami nodded. "Do you plan on coming out anytime soon?" he asked.

Alyssa sighed and stood up. She checked her reflection in the mirror before opening the door and walking out. She pulled Yami into a hug.

"You're awesome!!!!!!" she exclaimed.

"Okay…" Yami said, keeping his hands at his sides. "Can you let go of me now?"

Alyssa released him and smiled. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable and then we can go to an arcade or something."

Yami watched her run off towards her room and slam the door shut. He blinked.

_Did I miss something? _Yami asked.

_**You made her happy again and she thinks we're awesome, **_Yugi said. _**And I think everyone prefers this kind of Alyssa better.**_

_Agreed, _Yami replied.

Alyssa ran out of her room, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a black hoodie. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. She was almost skipping as she pulled him out of the apartment and towards her motorcycle.

"Alyssa, are you sure that you want to drive?" Yami asked as she climbed onto it.

"Yes." Alyssa stated, smiling as she pulled him onto it behind her and handed him the only helmet. "And here we go!" She revved her motorcycle and sped off onto the busy road.

_**WE'RE DOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_ Yugi shouted in Yami's head.

_Stop yelling! We'll be fine as long as she doesn't do anything dangerous, _Yami stated, holding onto Alyssa.

Alyssa smirked and popped a wheelie on her motorcycle, which caused Yami to hold on tighter. She returned both wheels back on the black top, but Yami did not loosen his grip on her.

"Yami, it's getting kind of hard to breath." Alyssa complained. "And if I get light headed I might end up crashing or something."

"Sorry." Yami muttered, loosening his grip slightly.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned onto a street that wasn't crowded. There was one fun zone where people could duel, play paintball, play video games, have dance tournaments, and all that fun stuff all day and all night. It was sponsored by Duke Devlin and cost 5 dollars just to get in. She parked her motorcycle a few blocks away and got off of it. Yami was a bit stiffer when he got off the motorcycle.

Alyssa pulled out her cell phone and made a phone call as they walked towards the fun zone. "Hey, Tristan," she purred. "Me and Yugi are going to that fun zone on 23rd street and I was wondering if you'd like to come to have a friendly round of paintball." She paused for a second. "Good. See you in a few."

"So, why exactly are we playing paintball?" Yami asked, glancing up at her.

"There are no races tonight." Alyssa stated simply. She smirked when Yami gave her a confused look. "Normally when I'm stressed like this, I go to a Midnight Circle motorcycle race, but there won't be another meeting until Monday and I'm sure you wouldn't want to go racing with me. This is the next best thing to racing."

Yami remained silent as Alyssa paid for the both of them and entered the fun zone. It had black walls and a black carpet. Bright lights popped out of the black ceiling and in one area, the lights were flashing over the dancing people. Tons of teens were milling about, enjoying the games and the food.

"Look who finally decided to live a little," Duke said, coming over and wrapping an arm around Alyssa's shoulders. "So, see anything you like?"

"Not yet." Alyssa said, removing his arm from around her shoulders. "Where's the paintball course?"

Duke smirked. "Adventurous, I see," he said. "Well follow me you two, the course is right back here."

Alyssa glanced back at Yami before following Duke through the game systems. They passed a viewing window that overlooked the dueling arena and looked out to see one monster blow up. Alyssa smirked and continued walking. The paintball course was just ahead of them, through a protective sheet of glass. A group of men were down there shooting at each other before ducking behind their cover.

"So, think you're ready for this?" Duke asked.

"I know I'm ready." Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "Are you, Yugi?"

"Yes." Yami replied, watching the men who were a lot bigger than Alyssa and him.

"So, are you game, too, Duke?" Alyssa questioned, eyeing him.

Duke smiled. "Of course I am."

"Good."

All of a sudden someone wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up in a bone crushing, backwards hug.

"Don't think that you're gonna have fun without me!" Tristan said, setting her down.

"Or me." Joey said, standing next to them.

Alyssa glanced at him and gave a half hearted smile. Yami saw her expression and frowned.

"So, let's get suited up and go take those wimps down." Duke said, reaching for the pads they'd need and the paintball guns.

Alyssa took the gun and the helmet but refused to put anything else on. Joey gave her a weird look, but Tristan shoved a gun in his face.

"Let's go take down the old football team!" Alyssa exclaimed, hitting a button that made the lights dim down in the course. She stepped into the course and the boys followed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked into the apartment shortly after midnight and saw that Carrie was curled up on the couch, watching a late night TV show. She dropped her keys lightly on the coffee table and went to get herself some soda. She winced as she moved her bruised arm.

"That's why they want you to wear the pads." Carrie said from the couch.

"Yes, but no one said that you have to wear them." Alyssa shot back, opening her soda and sitting down carefully in the overstuffed chair. "So I don't. Besides, I only got hit twice."

Carrie sighed. "Mai wants me to convince you to break up with Joey."

Alyssa looked shocked. "Really?"

"Really." Carrie said. "But you already knew that she would do something like this because you stole her Joey."

"He's my Joey and if she doesn't like it, she can go jump off the KC building for all I care." Alyssa snapped, sipping her soda. "As you can tell, I talked to Yami. And now, I know that I can never replace Kaiba, but I do not have to give up on Joey."

"You're weird." Carrie muttered.

"I know, and I blame Pegasus for that." Alyssa stated. "And that also makes you weird."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Carrie let out a frustrated sigh and turned the TV off. "Did Kaiba do anything to you when you went all loopy at work this morning?"

"No. But I won a date with him on Friday and that's when I'll give him a piece of my mind for being such a jerk."

"You go girl!"

"No. You go girl, and by go, I mean go to bed." Alyssa said. "It's way past your bedtime."

"Spoil sport." Carrie grumbled before stalking off to her bedroom.

Alyssa smirked and saw that the chocolate box was still on the coffee table. She picked it up and opened it. She glanced around to make sure no one was around and took one.

_What harm will come from me eating just one? _she thought, biting into it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: And there you have it. Lately, I haven't had any rays of sunshine, so you people start reviewing me or I'll go psycho on your asses!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

By Friday, Alyssa had gotten used to the idea of having to go on a date with Kaiba. The only problem was, she didn't know how Joey would take the idea and so she told him during her lunch hour. He just stared blankly at her while Yugi, Carrie, Tristan, Tea, and Mai just stood there, blinking stupidly.

"Uh…someone talk please." Alyssa begged, watching them.

"What were you thinking?" Carrie asked, crossing her arms.

"I was thinking that I would get a box of chocolates or something other than this kind of thing." Alyssa stated.

"But do you plan to actually _go _on this date with Kaiba?" Tristan asked.

"Yes." Alyssa said. "Because well, I want to get a chance to humiliate him and taunt him and stuff like that in a public place." She glanced at Joey. "So, will it be alright with you if I go?"

"Well, so long as there's no kissing, no prolonged hugs, hand holding, or any more than friendly contact, I don't see why not." Joey muttered. "Oh, and no dirty talking."

"Aw…you're gonna ruin my fun!" Alyssa whined, smirking. "How else am I supposed to taunt him?"

Joey crossed his arms and glared at her. Alyssa sighed and stood up.

"Fine. I'll be a good girl on my date with Kaiba." Alyssa promised, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "See ya later guys."

She started walking away when she heard someone following her. She tried ignoring them, hoping they'd go away, but they wouldn't.

"Yugi, what do you want?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"I'm just making sure you're okay." Yugi stated, hurrying over to her side. "That's what friends do."

"I'm fine. Just a little worried, that's all." Alyssa admitted. "I haven't been in the eyes of the press for so long and if word gets out that Kaiba is going on a date with me, I know the press will be waiting for me. And I don't know how Kaiba will act on this forced date."

Yugi nodded. "You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"That's just it. I _want _to go, but I don't want to go. So, I made a decision. I will go tonight and then shove the memory out of my head for the rest of my days."

"You're not drunk, are you?" Yugi asked.

"No. Not after what happened last time." She watched a shining motorcycle pass them before it stopped. "YAY!!! Bandit Keith brought presents!" She ran towards him.

"Hey, Alyssa," Bandit Keith said, smirking at her.

Alyssa brought her fist down on his head.

"What was that for?" Bandit Keith asked, rubbing his head.

"That was for giving me all that liquored chocolate at work!" Alyssa snapped. Then she gave him a hug. "And this is for being so thoughtful!"

"I think I prefer the hugs better."

"Well, you're not going to get many more if you don't help me out." Alyssa stated, backing away from him.

"With what?" He glanced at Yugi. "And don't tell me you want me to help you with the geek squad."

Alyssa slapped him on the back of his head and stole his sunglasses. "That's not nice!" she snapped, putting the glasses on. "And if you keep that attitude up, I won't help you stay out of trouble with the police."

Bandit Keith sighed. "What do you want then?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, for now I just want to you to give me a ride back to the KC building, so I won't be late." Alyssa stated. "And you can also drop some more of that chocolate off at my apartment."

Bandit Keith got on his motorcycle. "Hurry up and get on then."

Alyssa hopped on behind him and glanced at Yugi. "See ya later, Yugi. Tell Yami I said to stop worrying."

Bandit Keith's motorcycle roared into life and he sped off with Alyssa towards the KC building.

_What is she up to? _Yugi thought, watching them until they were gone.

"YUGI!!!" Carrie exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

_I'm doomed! _

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa didn't see much of Kaiba after her lunch hour. She had only one woman go into his office today and she didn't know if that was much of an improvement. She was playing solitaire when it was almost time for the KC building to close for the night.

"So, I'll be at your house at seven and you better be ready." Kaiba stated, standing in front of her desk which surprised her and made her jump.

_How does he do that? _Alyssa thought, looking up at him. _And are his eyes __**warmer **__than they usually are? Especially around me…_

_**They are…**_

Alyssa ignored the voice and smiled as she shut her computer down. "I know, I know." she muttered. "You have a strict schedule that can't be messed around with. I know the drill…"

"And try to dress nice." Kaiba ordered. "No jeans."

"So essentially, you want me to wear one of my dresses." Alyssa muttered, crossing her arms. "And you do realize that I hate dresses."

"Just wear one tonight. It won't kill you." Kaiba said before walking towards the elevator. "And remember seven sharp."

Alyssa made a face and grabbed her purse as the elevator doors closed. She decided to take the stairs so there would be no chance that she'd run into Kaiba again. She met Kathy half way down the stairs and growled at her.

"Hey, it's not my fault that your name got picked." Kathy said, smiling brightly. "And you should be absolutely happy. All the women in the world would kill to have a chance to go on a date with Kaiba." She sighed. "But some women have all the luck."

"Want to trade places?" Alyssa asked, jumping down seven stairs.

"I would, but I don't look like you and you won fair and square." Kathy said, taking her time going down the stairs. "And I know how much you like him."

Alyssa felt the color rise in her cheeks. "I do not!" she snapped.

"Well, if you don't like him, then I guess it won't hurt you to know that he likes you." Kathy stated, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"He what!?!"

"Kaiba likes you." Kathy repeated, opening the door that lead to the lobby.

"He does not. If he liked me then why would he have so many women coming into his office for a sleep-a-thon?" Alyssa asked, following her.

"I don't know, but I hope you didn't forget that I was one of those women." Kathy grumbled. "All the women that walk into that office with him or go to a hotel, we expect him to choose us as the one he cares more about. But never once has he said 'I love you' to any of the girls he's been with and he doesn't call us back when he promises. It's just very disappointing, but we still hope that we made a lasting impression on him and that one day, he'll realize that one of us was the one and he'll come and sweep us off our feet." She shook her head sadly. "It's a very bad fantasy that will never come true."

Alyssa looked at her friend. "I'm sorry about what he did to you. You didn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"Thanks…"

"I'm just glad that I didn't let that kind of thing happen to me…" Alyssa muttered. "I can't go into a relationship where I know that someone really doesn't love me for who I really am." She felt a twang in her heart. "And I know that Kaiba doesn't like me that way."

"He might, but you'll find it hard to get him to admit it." Kathy said. "But don't give up like the rest of us lowly dreamers. One day, you'll find someone who will love you the way you should be loved."

"Like you and Bakura." Alyssa said with a smirk.

"Hey! I never said that it had to be perfect!" Kathy exclaimed with a huge smile.

Alyssa laughed. She glanced at her watch and frowned. "Forty minutes until date time." she muttered.

"I could give you a ride home." Kathy suggested, walking over to her old pickup truck.

"Thanks! You're such a life saver!" Alyssa declared, giving Kathy a huge hug.

XXXXXXXXXXX

There was a knock on the door at seven. Carrie glanced at it as she played Fighting Force on her Play Station 2. The knock came again.

"Carrie, could you get that?" Alyssa called from her room.

Carrie sighed and paused her game. She got to her feet and made her way over to the door, grumbling about how much she hated older people. She opened the door and glared up at Kaiba.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing his casual outfit (the usual one he wears) beadily.

"Where's Alyssa?" Kaiba asked, crossing his arms.

"Primping herself for your date." Carrie stated, copying him. Her tone got colder. "And you better not do anything funny or I will have to hurt you!"

Kaiba smirked. "Was that a threat?"

Carrie turned her back on him and walked over to the couch. "I don't make threats. I make promises." she growled.

"Okay. I'm ready…I guess." Alyssa said, walking down the hallway and into Kaiba's view.

She was wearing one of her only dresses. It was red and stopped at around mid-thigh and had a low neck that revealed some cleavage. She glanced at Kaiba and smirked at his expression.

"Close your mouth, Kaiba boy, or you'll catch a fly in it." Alyssa stated, crossing her arms over her chest and letting the various black and gold bracelets slide around on her arms. "And I don't think having to go to the emergency room is considered a romantic date."

Kaiba closed his mouth and regained his cold composure. "Let's go." he said.

Alyssa sighed and grabbed her jacket before following him. She glanced back at Carrie as she closed the door and pulled a face. Carrie burst out laughing.

Alyssa pulled her jacket on as she followed Kaiba towards the awaiting limo. Already there were at least a dozen photographers and cameramen and they were all surrounding her and Kaiba. He grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly towards the limo and shoved her in before getting in himself. The limo revved to life and sped off, causing Alyssa to be pressed back against the seat for a moment.

"So, I see wearing a dress hasn't killed you." Kaiba said, smirking.

Alyssa glared at him before she sagged back against the seat and her eyes closed. She stopped breathing and Kaiba shook her by her shoulder. He didn't get a reaction.

"Alyssa, knock it off." Kaiba ordered.

Nothing.

"Alyssa!"

Alyssa started giggling and opened her eyes. "See? Wearing dresses kills me."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and produced two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne. Alyssa watched him pour it with skilled hands and took the glass he offered.

"Here's to us hating each other for all time after tonight and to the success of Kaiba Corp." Kaiba said, holding his glass out.

"I'll toast to that." Alyssa stated, clinking her glass to his before sipping the champagne. "Nice brand." she commented.

"Mhmm…" Kaiba agreed, setting his glass aside. "Thank Mokuba for the choice next time you see him."

"Well, he must have learned it from the best." Alyssa said, smiling slightly.

Kaiba nodded and glanced out the window. Alyssa looked at his wrist and noticed that for the first time in a long time that he didn't have his watch with him.

"Uh…where's your watch?" she asked.

Kaiba glanced at his wrist. "I decided that I didn't really need it tonight. I have nothing to do after our date."

Alyssa nodded and set her champagne aside, not wanting to become intoxicated during this event. "So, what's on the schedule?" she asked, crossing her legs and wishing she could take her high heeled shoes off.

"Dinner and then to a night club for some dancing." Kaiba stated. "This whole night was planned by Kathy Howard."

"Remind me to hit her the next time I see her." Alyssa ordered.

Kaiba smirked. "You'll have to get to her after I do."

"Is that a challenge?" Alyssa questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Maybe."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, dinner turned out to be at a cheap fancy restaurant and that was fine with Alyssa because she didn't really like the crowds at expensive fancy restaurants. She didn't like the waiter that sat them at a table for two. He was just too…proper for her. She kept her eyes lowered when she took her menu, but she could feel Kaiba's eyes on her and she knew she was blushing.

_This isn't how it's supposed to work, _Alyssa thought. _I'm the one who's supposed to have the control on this date, but I don't and I'm okay with that. But I shouldn't be okay with it because I have a boyfriend and he's not Kaiba. _

She absently reached for her champagne glass and looked up to see that Kaiba was still watching her. She frowned as she sipped her champagne and continued to read her menu.

_**I want meat…**_

_No meat today, _Alyssa thought, closing her menu. _Just some veggie goodness._

_**I hate you.**_

_I know you do. Now shut up and leave me alone._

Alyssa looked up when the Mr. Proper Waiter came over. Kaiba finally tore his eyes off of her.

"So, what shall you be having today?" the waiter asked, pen poised over his pad.

"I'll just have the Caesar salad with some Italian dressing." Alyssa stated, handing him her menu.

"And I'll have some chicken Fettuccini Alfredo (a/n: I know that's not Japanese but who cares?) and that'll do." Kaiba said, handing the waiter his menu.

The waiter nodded and walked off. Alyssa felt Kaiba's gaze once more on her. She was positive that her cheeks were as bright red as a fire engine.

"Do you have a staring problem?" she asked, finally getting annoyed with it all.

"Possibly…" was his answer.

"Then why don't you stare at someone else or the wall?"

"Because they're not interesting." Kaiba countered.

"And I am?"

"Yes. Especially when you're embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed, Kaiba."

"You know, we're not at work anymore, so you can drop the formalities, Alyssa."

Alyssa sighed and looked away from him. _How many more hours do I have to put up with this shit? _she thought, tapping her fingers on the table. "Fine, I'll call you Seto."

"Aw…no more 'Mr. Smexy CEO'?" Kaiba taunted, smirking.

"No. Definitely not that anymore." Alyssa said. "And it would do you well to stop reminding me about that incident. I was not in my right mind, so you can't believe a word I said then."

"Well, that's too bad. I liked what I heard then."

Alyssa rolled her eyes as the waiter came back, bearing their food on a large silver tray. She dug into her salad once he was gone. That's when she heard a familiar laugh and looked up. She looked past Kaiba's shoulder and saw something that made her drop her fork onto the table with a clink.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: As usual, review me or something bad will happen to you in the next 24 hours._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Kaiba looked up from his food when he heard the clink of Alyssa's fork on the table. She was staring at something past his shoulder and she looked like a mix between shock, anger, and sadness.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Alyssa blinked and looked at him. "Nothing…" she muttered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I…I have to go…" She stood up and walked away.

Kaiba heard a silent "Oh shit" behind him and turned to see that Joey was sitting two tables away from their table, holding Mai close to him. He smirked and called for the waiter and the bill. He paid for his and Alyssa's meals before getting up and walking out after her.

Kaiba spotted her on the bench across the street from the restaurant and walked over there. She didn't react to him sitting down next to her, but maybe that was because she had her face in her hands. Kaiba watched her body tremble with sadness that just wanted to escape.

"How could I have been so stupid?" she asked, and Kaiba wasn't sure if the question was directed at him or not. "I should have seen this coming when I learned that Mai wanted me to break up with him…How could he do this to me?"

"I don't know." Kaiba said, staring at the restaurant. "But he did and he messed up big time. You were probably the best thing that ever happened to him and now, he's just the same old mutt that he always was."

Alyssa sighed and lowered her hands onto her lap. Her hair blocked her face from his view though. "I trusted him, even loved him a bit." she whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. "And this is what I get for trying to love…it's not fair."

"You're just trying to love the wrong people." Kaiba stated, glancing at her. "You're going for people who aren't even worth your time."

Alyssa laughed dryly. "Then maybe I shouldn't love because I've tried to love almost all the kinds of people out there and a broken heart is all that I got in return." She smirked. "I guess I'll die a virgin or be the Queen of one night stands."

"You won't." Kaiba promised. "You'll find someone in no time to replace that Wheeler and he just might be the one for you."

Alyssa looked at him and gave him a small smile. "This is one crappy date, huh?"

"I've been on worse."

Alyssa sighed and stood up. "I have to call Tristan or someone to take me home." She started reaching for her cell phone in her purse, but Kaiba grabbed her hand.

"Our date's not over." Kaiba stated when she shot him a questioning look. "And I don't want to send you home feeling like shit."

Alyssa nodded and smiled. "Let's go." she said, tugging him to his feet.

Kaiba smirked and wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked back towards the limo with the paparazzi starting to show up. This time, Kaiba held the door open for her and climbed in after she was situated. Neither of them paid attention to the flashing cameras as the limo pulled away.

"Seto, about this night club we're going to," Alyssa began, looking over at him. "It better have a bar because I want to have something to drink before we start dancing."

"I understand." Kaiba said, turning the TV on and flipping through the channels until he came to one that showed breaking news for all the Japanese celebrities. He and Alyssa were already on the headlines. "And don't worry, the press won't be allowed to follow us in there."

Alyssa nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. _This date might not be the worse thing that has happened to me in awhile, _she thought. _I wonder what's going to happen tomorrow when everyone finds out what Joey did…_She sighed. _I don't really care now…it's too peaceful to care about something like that._

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The nightclub they went to had a bar and Alyssa had drunk one margarita before she decided to go on the dance floor with Kaiba. She was so into the upbeat music that she had danced close to him and even accepted one slow dance before they left.

Now he was walking her to the door to her apartment, smiling. She was actually okay with the fact that he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. But she was getting kind of sad because their night was almost over.

"So, the brat must be up waiting for you to make sure you're alright," Kaiba said, stopping outside the door. "You are alright, right?"

Alyssa nodded. "I'm fine. So you don't have to worry about her threats."

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise." Kaiba stated.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I had a great time tonight." she said. "Even though it was with you and what I went through at dinner…" She sighed. "I guess I just want to say thanks for being a great date."

"That's one thing I'm great at." Kaiba said with a smirk.

_**Obviously…**_

Alyssa nodded and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She blushed and backed closer to her door, fumbling with the doorknob behind her. "I'll…I'll see you Monday, Seto…" she said, smiling only slightly now.

Kaiba nodded and walked away. "Goodnight, Alyssa."

"Goodnight," Alyssa muttered before opening the door and being yanked in by her cousin.

They fell to the floor in a heap and Carrie slammed the door shut with her foot. Alyssa sighed and looked up at her.

"Tell me everything that happened!" Carrie ordered. "And not the stuff that I saw on the TV, either."

Alyssa crossed her arms as she sat up and leaned back against the door. "We went to dinner, we saw Joey with Mai, we left the restaurant, went to a nightclub to dance a little, and he took me back home." she said, trying to get Carrie off her legs without touching her. "That good enough?"

"WHAT!?!" Carrie exclaimed, looking shocked.

_**Here we go again…**_

"Joey and Mai as in together-together?" Carrie asked.

"Yes."

"As in cozy more than friends together?"

"Yes."

"As in I don't care if I have another girlfriend and I don't care if he has a girlfriend together?"

"Yes."

"As in-."

Alyssa threw her purse at her. "Yes! As in he doesn't care about me and wants to be with Mai!" she hissed. "But who was there to stop them? Not me! They don't care about me and that's fine! I don't need someone to love me! I'm perfectly fine by myself, as you will see when you move out tomorrow. And I hope you make Mai's life a living Hell."

Carrie crawled off of Alyssa's legs. "So Joey's almost as bad as Kaiba?"

"No…Seto doesn't have a girlfriend to cheat on; Joey had a girlfriend that he cheated on…so he's worse in that way." Alyssa stated. "But on the slut side of things, Seto wins thousands to one."

Carrie nodded and gave her cousin a hug. "I'm sorry you picked a loser." she whispered. "But don't you worry; he will pay dearly for that."

"I can fight my own battles, so leave something for me to yell at." Alyssa ordered, smiling slightly. "And go to bed."

Carrie sighed and got to her feet. "Oh, someone left something for you on the coffee table, but I don't know how they got in here earlier." She walked towards her room. "Goodnight!"

Alyssa took her heels off and noticed that one of them was broken. _And these were my best pair too, _she thought, standing up and throwing them in the trash.

_**Oh boohoo…you hate heels anyway.**_

_Again, shut up._

Alyssa grabbed the box off the coffee table as she headed down the hall to her room. She dropped it on her bed as she started gathering her night clothes and some panties. She felt like having a shower was the best way to wash away her troubles.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi groaned as his phone rang and rolled onto his stomach, burying his head under his pillow. The phone rang again.

_**It's not going to stop ringing until you answer it, **_Yami pointed out, standing in front of the window.

"I don't wanna answer it." Yugi yawned. "Let the machine get it."

_**Yugi, there is no answering machine. So you'll have to answer it or it'll just keep ringing and you won't get any sleep.**_

Yugi sighed and removed his pillow from on top of his head. He sat up and stretched. "It's one in the morning…who could be calling this late?" he asked, staring at Yami.

_**I can think of several people who lack in the consideration of others trait.**_

Yugi made a face and answered the phone in mid-ring. "Hello?"  
"Yugi, I know it's late, but I have to tell you something!" Carrie exclaimed in his ear.

"Carrie, what is it?" Yugi asked as Yami rolled his eyes.

_**Probably something like losing a tooth or a new movie coming out or…**_

"Joey was cheating on Alyssa with Mai!!!" Carrie shouted.

"What?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah. She saw them tonight on her date with Kaiba and she said they were all cozy and more than friendly! I can't believe he would do that!"

"I can't, either. Are you sure that's what happened?"

"YES! She's my cousin and she wouldn't lie to me about something like that. I bet it's on the news, too, because they had live footage of her in the restaurant with Kaiba, not to mention all those pictures…Ooh! He'll never live this down! Never! And I'll make sure he doesn't have any kids, too!"

Yugi and Yami sweat dropped at the thoughts they got from that statement.

"Uh…don't you think that you're overreacting a bit?" Yugi asked. "I mean this is Alyssa's and Joey's problem and they need to work it out for themselves…"

"But I'm her cousin and you're her friend and Joey's best friend! We should do something about this. We should…INTERVENE!!!!"

_**Are you sure your girlfriend is not on something right now? **_Yami questioned.

Yugi glared at him. "We can talk to him in the morning and see what's up." Yugi said to Carrie. "But no beating up Joey."

_**Like she'll listen to you about that.**_

"CARRIE ALYSON WEST!!!!!!" Alyssa screamed from Carrie's side of the line. "I TOLD YOU TO GO TO BED NOT CALL SOMEONE AND TALK ABOUT ME!!!!!!"

"BUT IT'S YUGI!" Carrie shouted back.

"WELL SAY GOODNIGHT AND THEN HANG UP! HE NEEDS TO SLEEP TOO!!!!!"

Yugi heard Carrie sigh. "Goodnight, Yugi," she muttered. "We'll finish this talk later."

The phone went dead in Yugi's ear, so he put it back in the charger and lay back down. "That was odd." he yawned, closing his eyes.

_**She's your girlfriend.**_

"Yep…I'm one lucky guy…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked back into her room and kicked aside some of the boxes that littered it. She was refreshed and ready to begin a new day. If it had been later in the morning, she would have started getting ready to move the stuff out of her apartment, but that wasn't going to happen now.

She contented herself with opening the box that had been left for her. It turned out that it was from Bandit Keith and it was the chocolates she had asked for. Her stomach rumbled at the sight and delicious smell of them and she popped one in her mouth. This time, she read what was scribbled on the box by Bandit Keith.

_Try not to eat too many of these or you'll go tipsy again. Yes, Kathy told me what happened when you ate all the chocolates I gave you over the past few months. You're very stupid for such a smart person. Anyway, see ya at the Midnight Circle on Monday or whatever. –BK_

Alyssa smirked and threw the note aside. She sat there munching on chocolates as she thought of what tomorrow would bring.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Thanks to the people that reviewed me earlier. Everyone else, kindly review me from now on because you're reviews help me greatly in the development of this story. ~Scarlet_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: My thanks go out to GeminiGirl1617 and Hitsuji87 for your awesome reviews. You are the reason I continue on with this story…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Eight**

Alyssa heard a loud sound outside her window and dismissed it as she rolled over on her bed, further entangling herself in the black sheet. Suddenly, sunlight hit her face and she buried her face under her pillow. The smell of expensive cologne met her nose as she heard footsteps coming towards her bed.

_Oh no! _Alyssa thought, hoping the person would go away.

"Angel, it's time to wake up!" Pegasus sang happily, grabbing her pillow and removing it from her head.

"I don't wanna!" Alyssa whined, throwing an arm across her eyes. "Five more minutes, Uncle!"

"Sorry, but the moving men won't wait another five minutes for the bed." Pegasus said, taking the sheet as well. "So get up my dear!"

Alyssa sighed and opened her eyes to find herself staring up at her happy Uncle. "Can't a girl who's been out all night get some decent sleep around here?"

"That's what you get when you party all night with your boyfriend." Pegasus said, wagging his finger.

Alyssa growled. "KAIBA'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!!! JOEY WHEELER IS!! I mean was…"

Pegasus looked thoughtful. "Was? Well, why wasn't I informed and why would the press put such scandalous lies about you and Kaiba on the news if it wasn't true?" He crossed his arms and sighed. "I guess I'll just have to believe you."

Alyssa nodded and got out of her bed. "So, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed."

Pegasus brightened. "Alright and I'll go make breakfast!" he declared, skipping towards the door.

Alyssa sweat dropped. "Uncle, there's nothing to make breakfast with and you don't know how to cook."

Pegasus sweat dropped and turned around. "Right!" He practically ran out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Alyssa sighed and shook her head. _That was beyond weird, _she thought.

_**Tell me about it.**_

_I'd rather not because you already know everything that goes on in my head. _

_**That's right and right now I'm thinking that you need to get dressed, get out of this dump, and go eat some meat.**_

_Well, that's what you think but I'm not going to eat a rare steak just because you want to have some meat that's almost moving. Now, shut up and leave me alone._

It took her only ten minutes to decide and put on a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail before she walked out of her room and saw that Carrie's stuff was already gone and so was Carrie.

_And I didn't even get to say goodbye! _Alyssa thought, crossing her arms at the sight of the big moving men who would be taking her stuff to her new residence. _How rude of her!_

"Come on, Angel dear!" Pegasus exclaimed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go get some breakfast!"

Alyssa sighed as she was steered away by her uncle, but managed to grab her purse before she left the apartment for the last time.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie, Yugi, Tea, and Tristan were all talking together in hushed voices at the park when Joey found them later that day. They stopped talking when they saw him and Carrie growled.

"Uh…what's going on guys?" Joey asked, confused about Carrie's growling problem.

"Let me at him!" Carrie exclaimed, trying to lunge at Joey, but Yugi held her back somehow. "Let me at him! I just want to hit him one dozen times! Let me at him!"

"What's her problem?" Joey asked, pointing at Carrie who was almost strangling Yugi in an attempt to get to him.

"No, the question is, what's your problem, man?" Tristan questioned, glaring at his best friend. "Why would you go and pull a stunt like that?"

"Uh…now I'm confused." Joey said, scratching his head. "I don't have a single clue about what you're talking about."

"LET ME AT HIM!!!!! LET ME HURT HIM!!!" Carrie roared, still trying to get at Joey at the cost of her boyfriend.

There was a flash of light and Yami traded places with Yugi. He pinched a certain nerve on Carrie's neck and she became calm. He then focused his cold crimson gaze on Joey.

"You know very well what you did." he stated.

"Uh…I actually have no idea." Joey said, still looking confused.

"Come on, Joey, we know about last night." Tea said, not taking her eyes off of Yami. "And we're not too happy about it."

"Uh…last night. What did I do last night?" Joey asked.

Tristan brought his fist down on Joey's head. "Damn, you're lame!" he exclaimed as Joey got a huge knot on his head. "You were with Mai last night and Alyssa saw you!"

"Oh…_that's _what you guys are going on about." Joey said, finally remembering. "Yeah…I was with Mai and Aly caught me with her…"

"And you don't have any shame or feel bad about hurting her?" Tristan asked, crossing his arms.

"Not really…I mean I am kind of sorry that she had to find out that way, but I'm not sorry that I did it." Joey stated. "I mean, I didn't really even love her that much. At first I thought I did, but then I kind of realized that I was just using her to make Mai and Kaiba jealous. That's all. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to have someone like Aly as my girlfriend."

"YOU USED MY COUSIN!!!!!!" Carrie roared, tackling him and she started punching him in the gut and in the face. "SHE'S MY COUSIN AND SHE'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH HELL WITHOUT YOUR HELP!!!! YOU MADE IT WORSE!!!!!! YOU'RE STUPID AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU UNTIL SHE DOES AND I KNOW SHE WON'T UNLESS YOU GIVE HER A SINCERE APOLOGY WHICH YOU BETTER MAKE IN THE NEXT HOUR OR YOU WILL NOT HAVE CHILDREN IN THIS LIFETIME!!!!!!!"

Tristan pulled Carrie off of Joey. "Easy girl." he said, watching her struggle in his arms to get at Joey again. "If you keep pounding him like that, Alyssa will never get an apology from him."

Joey sat up breathing hard and pinching his bleeding nose. He glared at Carrie before getting to his feet and walking away.

"Joey, if you want to apologize to Alyssa, check the swing set at the other end of the park." Yami said, watching his retreating back.

"Thanks, Yug." Joey muttered thickly.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa was swinging back and forth slowly on the swing, watching the line that her shoe was making in the sand. She saw a shadow in front of her and stopped swinging. She looked up at Joey and saw his bloody face. Oddly, she felt a bit sorry for him, but she knew that he deserved it and silently thanked Carrie for being such a fighter.

"Uh…can we talk?" Joey asked, looking down at her.

"There's nothing to talk about." Alyssa muttered, starting her swing up again. "But I guess we can try to talk about something."

Joey sat on the swing next to her. "Alyssa, I'm sorry you had to find out about me and Mai like that." he said.

"How long have you two been together?" Alyssa questioned, staring straight ahead.

"Uh…about a week." Joey admitted.

"And this all happened behind my back because of what?"

"I was afraid to tell you." Joey stated. "I was using you to prove to Kaiba that I was someone to be considered. And I guess I was trying to make Mai jealous of me. I'm sorry."

"That's fine." Alyssa muttered. "Because I was using you. Not to get back at anyone or to prove something, but I was trying to fix my broken heart and replace someone else, but it didn't work." She glanced at him. "And I didn't really care that you were with Mai. I was actually kind of relieved because I thought I wouldn't have to reveal the truth to you and that I could end our relationship with both of our hearts still intact. I guess it worked only on your side because I lost a couple of needed pieces for my heart…"

"I'm really sorry, Aly, and I wish that I could have told you in person about what was going on, but I hope you understand."

"I understand perfectly. You and Mai are meant for each other and I am meant for someone I haven't met yet. It's a win-almost win situation. You're the winner, if you didn't know."

Joey nodded and stood up. "So, you're not mad at me?"

"I'm mad at you for lying to me, but other than that, I'm good." Alyssa stated. "But this means that you don't get that model of the spinning chair and that we are no longer together."

"I guess I can deal with that." Joey said, smiling slightly and wincing as pain shot up his face. "OW!"

Alyssa burst out laughing and almost fell off of her swing. "You better get out of here because I think Carrie's coming!"

Joey let out a strangled yelp and ran off in the opposite direction. Alyssa started laughing again with more gusto and did fall off of her swing this time. She just laid there in the sand, laughing for a bit until she realized that the paparazzi were coming towards her. She sat up and glanced at them.

_Oh shit!_

She got to her feet and took off running as they got closer. They just started running after her. A car came to a halt in front of her and she almost hit the rusty old hood.

"Get in!" Kathy ordered through the driver's side window.

Alyssa ran around the truck and jumped into the passenger's seat. She wasn't even buckled in before Kathy put the truck in reverse and then floored the gas pedal once she put it back in forward.

"You're still a life saver!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"You can pay me back later and tell me what happened on your date with Kaiba." Kathy replied, trying to get away from the paparazzi.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ditching Kathy shortly after they outran the paparazzi and after telling her every little detail of the date with Kaiba, Alyssa headed back to her uncle's mansion. She didn't run into him or anything as she headed towards her room.

She could hardly call it her room though because she had been lazy that morning and hadn't unpacked anything. There were boxes all over her room and she couldn't see her queen sized bed.

_Well, I better start somewhere…_she thought, making her way through the boxes. _But which boxes hold my clothes?_

_**Probably the boxes that say 'CLOTHES' on them. **_

_I knew that, you meanie!_

_**Then why did you ask?**_

_It was a rhetorical question! _Alyssa snapped mentally, grabbing a box and ripping the tape off of it. She found that it was a box of CDs. _And someone didn't label them all right!_

_**Well, you can blame your cousin for that.**_

_Don't you go talking about her! She's done nothing to you, whoever you are._

_**I'm a figment of your imagination. And I must say that without me, your life would be very dull indeed.**_

_And I would have less headaches, _Alyssa shot back, finding her CD holder and putting her CDs in it.

_**Touché…**_

_Sorry. I only speak English here, so all non-English speaking people get out of my head._

_**You're Japanese.**_

_Yes, but I prefer speaking in English, like most people in Domino City._

_**Whatever.**_

_Just shut up, so I can do this._

Alyssa found a box full of winter clothes and started putting them in the really large walk in closet. She knew that she wasn't going to get done until way after dinner, so she decided to turn some music on. She had learned somewhere that music helps make the work go faster. But that wouldn't work because she found that she'd start to dance and sing along with the music, but she did continue working.

_**I live in the head of the freakiest girl in the world.**_

_I thought I told you to shut up!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Well, Alyssa managed to get everything unpacked and placed somewhere in the room by her curfew. She was just finished pulling on some booty shorts and a hot pink baby tee when her cell phone rang.

_Now who could that be? _Alyssa thought, walking over to it.

_**You'll never know until you ask.**_

_Shut up or I'll call for an exorcist!_

"Hello?"

"Alyssa…can you come over?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah, but what's wrong?" Alyssa asked, noticing how his voice had been shaky.

"Nothing…please just come over." Mokuba said before the phone went dead.

Alyssa stared at her phone for a few seconds before dropping it and grabbing her jacket and her motorcycle keys.

_**And where do you think you're going? **_

_You heard what he said, _Alyssa said, opening her bedroom door and sneaking through the halls. _I have to go see what's wrong with Mokuba._

_**Isn't that why he's got an older brother who's supposed to take care of him?**_

_Yes, well, Seto's not much of a caretaker anymore for his brother, now that he's a slut, _Alyssa commented as she ran down the stairs and towards her motorcycle.

_**And you're going to get sick if you ride there in this outfit.**_

_I don't care. Now just shut up or I will follow through with that exorcist idea._

_**Shutting up.**_

Alyssa started her motorcycle up and sped off, not caring that the wind on her legs was very cold. She could stand the cold but she needed to make sure that Mokuba was alright.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: And we'll leave it right there for now. ~grins~ Wondering what happens next? Good. I'd love to hear theories and any other comments you want to make about my story so far. Even the mean comments. Thanks!!!_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I'm still getting used to studying again because school's been going on for a few weeks now. Here' s a double update for you as payment…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Nine**

Alyssa got off her motorcycle as soon as she turned it off and hurried towards the door to the Kaiba mansion. Her legs were stiff and ice cold, but she urged them to keep moving. She raised her hand to knock on the door, but it opened and Mokuba ran into her legs.

"Mokuba?" she asked, trying to keep her balance.

"Alyssa, I'm so glad that you're here." Mokuba said, voice muffled because he had his face in her stomach. "I didn't know who else to call…"

"Mokuba, what's wrong?" Alyssa asked, looking down at him.

Mokuba pulled away from her. "Seto just left and didn't say where he was going or anything." he said. "He looked kind of pissed, so I thought it was work or something, but he didn't show up there as far as the security guards know. And he's not at the hotel he always goes to either. I don't know where he is!"

Alyssa frowned and pulled Mokuba into the mansion, closing the door behind him. "Then I'll stay with you until Kaiba comes back." she stated, looking down at him.

"But what about your uncle?" Mokuba questioned. "Won't he get mad that you left his mansion without telling him?"

Alyssa thought about that for a second. She would get in trouble, but he had to see it her way.

"I'll call him later, so don't you worry." Alyssa ordered, trying to smile. "I'm sure you're brother will be back in no time."

Mokuba nodded and wiped away a stray tear. "I'm not supposed to cry or anything…it shows weakness."

Alyssa crouched down. "Mokuba, tears are natural and I don't care what your brother told you, but you are human and humans do cry. Even boys." She smirked. "Even I cry sometimes."

"But you always seem so calm or happy."

"Yes, but I cry when things get too hard for me. And when I'm seriously hurt. So don't you ever be afraid to show emotions. And then you'll be better off than your brother."

Mokuba pulled a face. "I don't want to be like him exactly. I want to be the good side of him."

_And when you find out what that is, tell me, _Alyssa thought and smiled. "Let's go play a game and see if your brother shows up while we're playing."

Mokuba nodded and ran over to his game stations. "And this time, I will beat you a lot more than usual!"

"You're on."

Alyssa leapt lightly over the couch and landed next to him. She took the second controller and picked her character.

"Get ready to lose, Mokuba!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa looked over at Mokuba shortly after the movie they had been watching after their games ended. He was leaning against her and was fast asleep. She sighed and reached for the remote and turned the TV and DVD player off.

_Better get him to bed, _she thought, standing up.

She picked Mokuba up and took him to his room without waking him up. She placed him on his bed and pulled the covers over him. She ruffled his hair before leaving the room.

_And his brother is still not home, _she thought, wandering down the halls. _Where are you, Seto? And why are you giving your brother a premature heart attack?_

She jumped when her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Alyssa, where are you?" Pegasus asked, sounding worried. "I was going to your room to read you a bedtime story and you weren't there."

Alyssa sweat dropped. "A bedtime story?"

"Yes. Rapunzel, to be exact." Pegasus said. "But that still doesn't tell me where you are and why you left."

"Uncle, I'm at the Kaiba mansion, taking care of Mokuba." Alyssa informed him. "It seems his brother went AWOL all of a sudden and that left Mokuba scared and in need of assistance. I promise I'll be back when Kaiba shows up."

"Aw…my little Angel's being such a thoughtful person and is taking care of her boyfriend's brother while he goes shopping for rings…how lovely!"

A nerve throbbed in Alyssa's forehead. "For the last time, Kaiba is NOT my boyfriend!" she snapped. "And we don't have a clue where Kaiba is so we can't know what he's doing!"

_**Or who he's doing…**_

_Shut up!_

"Alright, well, I give you my permission to stay over there until Kaiba returns from whatever he's doing, but no longer, young lady." Pegasus said. "Understood?"

"Understood."

_**Damn he's dense…**_

"Uncle, I have to go now...I have someone to take care of, you know." Alyssa said.

"Yes. Tell the little Kaiba I said hello." Pegasus said. "And I shall save the bedtime story for your return."

Alyssa's sweat drop got bigger. "Yeah…okay…I'll see ya then." she muttered before hanging up quickly. "Weirdo."

_**He's your uncle.**_

_How many times do I have to tell you to shut up? _Alyssa thought, shoving her cell phone back in her pocket before walking back into the living room.

_**A lot, but I'll never listen, so you might as well stop.**_

Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned the TV on. She started flipping through channels until she came to channel 250 and her mouth dropped open. _PORN!?! _she thought, changing the channel. _MORE PORN!?!_

She continued switching through the channels from 250 to 299 and found that all of them were porn. She had to count 299 as porn because it was the naked news and she didn't like that. She quickly went to the menu of the TV and started messing with the passwords and stuff.

_That bastard, _Alyssa thought, making the setting only go up to rated R so that if he wanted to watch porn or anything else that was rated X, Kaiba would have to put in the password which she would never tell him. _Having that stuff on the TV where his brother can see it anytime he turns the TV on. It's probably as bad on his computer, but I am not touching that thing. I've seen enough of this to last me a lifetime._

_**So what are you going to do about it?**_

Alyssa smirked as she turned the TV on. "I'll take care of him."

_**Him who? The little one or the big jerk?**_

_Kaiba will wish he never had this stuff and Mokuba will never know that his brother was yelled at by me. I won't let him see it._

_**Good luck with that. Mokuba will see everything unless he's out when Kaiba comes back or he's dead to the world. Hm…are you going to kill either of them? Because that would be fun and would end all of your problems.**_

_No one's going to die. I'll deal with him my way when he returns tonight._

_**If he returns tonight…**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa awoke early the next morning because her legs were screaming in pain. She yawned and stretched and wondered how she had fallen asleep on a leather couch that wasn't her uncle's. Then she remembered everything and went to go check Kaiba's room.

She opened the door and saw that no one was in the perfectly made king sized bed. She sighed and walked towards the kitchen. She wondered what Mokuba would want for breakfast, but couldn't because she wasn't usually here this late. She shrugged and started making pancakes for him, adding some cinnamon to the mix because she knew he liked cinnamon.

_Where could that man have gone? _Alyssa thought as she flipped one pancake and then started looking for a plate to put it on. _Maybe I should call someone and see if they can find out where he is…Nah, no one would be up this early in the morning…I'll call later._

She looked up when she heard some soft footsteps. Mokuba was standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning, Sleepy Head." Alyssa said, trying to be happy for him and succeeding half way.

Mokuba looked at her and sighed as he walked over to the table. "Seto's not back yet, is he?" he asked, sitting down.

"No." Alyssa admitted, setting his food down in front of him and handing him a fork. "So, do you want syrup and butter with that?"

Mokuba nodded and Alyssa wandered over to the fridge to get the butter. She thought she heard someone sniff, but dismissed it as she grabbed the syrup from the cupboard.

"Do you think he left because of me?" Mokuba asked suddenly.

Alyssa whipped around and stared at him. "Of course not!" she exclaimed, walking over and setting the newly acquired objects down. "Seto loves you and he would never leave you. Especially after he fought so hard to get your stepfather to adopt you as well." She smiled. "You both have a special brotherly connection that can't be broken…"

Mokuba sighed and started pouring lots of syrup on his pancakes. Alyssa ruffled his hair playfully and went to get the phone because it was ringing.

"Hello, Kaiba residence, Alyssa speaking, who is this?" Alyssa asked, holding the cordless phone to her ear.

Whoever was on the other end of the phone hung up on her.

"Well, that was rude." Alyssa muttered, putting the phone back in the charger.

"Who was it?" Mokuba asked, cheeks bulging out because he had stuffed his cheeks full of cinnamon pancake.

"Wrong number." Alyssa guessed, crossing her arms. "And didn't your brother ever teach you about manners? 'Cause you're not supposed to talk with your mouth full."

Mokuba swallowed the pancake with difficulty. "Sorry, Alyssa."

_Not as sorry as your brother's gonna be, _Alyssa thought, but nodded to show that she accepted his apology. _And believe me, he will be very sorry indeed._

"So what are we going to do today?" Mokuba asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "I haven't thought about it, but I guess we can't leave here because one, I don't have my right clothes and two, Seto might come back if we do leave. So that leaves us playing games or whatever."

Mokuba nodded. "Before Seto left, I was going to ask him if he'd take me out to get you a birthday present." he informed her. "It is in three days and I haven't gotten you anything…"

Alyssa sighed as she remembered that she was turning 20 in three days. On Halloween, to be exact. She had really been hoping that no one would remember because she hated her birthday and feeling old.

"Don't worry about it." Alyssa muttered, leaning against the door jam. "There's always some other day to get me a present. Like Christmas."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and continued munching away at his pancakes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you mean you can't come over?" Tristan asked over Alyssa's cell phone as she played against Mokuba in a video game.

"Exactly what I said. I can't come over." Alyssa said, making her character pick Mokuba's character up and throw him at the wall. "I'm busy."

"Doing what?" Tristan asked. "Because I went over to your uncle's and he was just rambling on and on about Kaiba and rings."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and made a mental note to take her uncle to see a therapist. "I'm babysitting Mokuba." she stated, trading the phone in her hand to the other one.

"Why?"

"Because that's my job."

"At night that's your job and on weekdays that's your job. But this is the afternoon and a weekend."

"Yeah, well, try telling that to Kaiba if you find him." Alyssa stated, managing to kill Mokuba's character. "Because I have been having no such luck."

"NO FAIR!!!" Mokuba yelled, pointing at the screen. "I want a rematch!"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and clicked play again.

"So, Kaiba's not there?" Tristan asked.

"That's right and no, you can't come over and party because if he comes back and sees you, I'm dead meat."

"Have you tried his second home?" Tristan asked.

"I've checked the KC building, partnering companies, nightclubs, bars, strip joints, hotels, motels, and almost every other place in Japan that he would go to and still no luck." Alyssa informed him. "It's like he fell off the face of the Earth."

"Did you check his cell phone and see if you can backtrack where he is from it?" Duke asked, obviously Tristan had either handed the phone over to him or he had it on speaker phone.

"No Duke, I'm a stupid blonde who didn't think of that already." Alyssa grumbled.

"HEY!!!" Yugi, Joey, and Carrie exclaimed.

"Shush up, blonde peoples." Alyssa ordered. "So, do you have any more annoying questions to ask?"

"I've got one! I've got one!" Carrie exclaimed, causing Alyssa to get an image of her bouncing up and down in order to be picked on.

"Then speak up already, Dum-Dum."

"Nah…if you're going to act like that, then forget it." Carrie said.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "If you all don't have anything else to say, I'm going to hang up now."

"Ooh! Now I remember!" Carrie shouted.

"What is it, Carrie?"

"What do you want me to get for your birthday?" Carrie questioned.

"WHAT!?!" Duke and Tristan exclaimed at the same time. "WHAT BIRTHDAY!?!"

"Thanks a lot, Carrie." Alyssa grumbled.

"Yeah, didn't you guys know that Alyssa's birthday is on Halloween?"

"No." everyone replied.

"We have to get her a present, don't we?" Joey asked.

"No presents." Alyssa said.

"Aly, we could have the party at the Fun Zone." Duke suggested. "And I'll plan everything!"

"Hey, she's our friend, too!" Tristan said. "And so we should get to help you!"

"No party." Alyssa whispered.

"What do you want for your birthday?" Tea asked.

"I don't want anything." Alyssa stated.

"It's my Fun Zone, so I should get to decide what happens there and what decorations go up and-."

"She's been our friend longer than she's been yours!" Tristan declared.

"Has not!"

"Has too!"

"Has not!"

"Has too!"

"Guys! Knock it off!" Yugi shouted, causing everyone to shut up. "We can talk about this later. Is that alright, Alyssa?"

"I guess…" Alyssa muttered, staring blankly at the TV screen as Mokuba tried to get past her character's defense.

"So, we'll see ya later to talk about the details." Duke said. "And I think the theme should be black and red."

"That's it!" Tristan exclaimed before the phone went dead in Alyssa's ear.

"Well, that sucked." Alyssa whispered, hanging up and putting her cell phone back on the side table.

"I'm going to win this time!" Mokuba exclaimed, punching her character.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and made her character pick up his and body slam it. GAME OVER flashed on the screen. "I win."

"NO FAIR!!!!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa curled up on the couch shortly after she had tucked Mokuba into his bed. Her eye lids felt heavy but she refused to close them all the way. The clock told her that it was just turning twelve, so she thought it was safe to just close them for a few minutes. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of a door opening. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was a quarter till four. And thinking that it was just Mokuba getting up and to get some water or to go to the bathroom, she closed her eyes again and snuggled into the couch.

Something stroked back her hair and she sat up quickly. She turned around to see the tall silhouette of Kaiba. She growled and stood up, grabbing her jacket and cell phone.

"What are you doing here?" Kaiba questioned, staring at her in the darkness.

"I'm taking care of your brother because you scared him half to death when you vanished like that!" Alyssa hissed, pushing past him and heading towards the door. "But I know it's not the first time you've done that to him!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaiba asked, his voice starting to get dangerously low.

"All those times you've snuck out to go screw some whore when you're brother was here by himself! That cuts deep Kaiba, especially seeing as he's so young! He was practically crying when I came here!"

"He's 15! He can take care of himself for a couple of hours! And he does not cry! He knows better than to show that kind of weakness!"

"So, you're saying that showing that you're a human is weakness! Showing that you have a heart is to show a weakness. How about screwing every woman in town that you can get your hands on? That's a weakness because then your enemies know that you are drawn easily in by a pretty face and a big chest!" Alyssa exclaimed, turning to face him, but keeping one hand firmly on the door handle.

Kaiba struck her across the mouth and Alyssa brought her hand to her lip. Dark red blood covered her fingers when she pulled them away. She licked her lip and glared at him.

"That's so just like you!" she growled. "Hitting someone because they know the truth and you don't like it. Well, here's another truth for you. Your brother doesn't want to be like you. He wants to be the good part of you, but he's going to have to find some other role model because there is no good part to you. You're just a cold, arrogant slut and that's all you will ever be!"

She flung open the door and started down the cement stairs. Kaiba stood in the doorway, glaring down at her. Halfway down, Alyssa glanced over her shoulder at him.

"I can't believe that I was starting to like you again," she whispered, venom dripping off her every word.

"What?" Kaiba asked, trying to keep his surprise out of his voice.

"That's right. I was starting to like you again. I always had a crush on you before I realized what a whore you were…Boy was I wrong." Alyssa stated, pulling her jacket on. Goosebumps were already starting to appear on her legs because her booty shorts weren't going to cover much more than her ass. "And I'm glad that I never let someone like you in my pants because that would have been the biggest mistake of my life."

She got on her motorcycle and looked up at him as she started it. "And you're not invited to my birthday party. Only Mokuba is." she stated. "And tomorrow, don't talk to me at work."

With that, she sped off and was surrounded by a bright scarlet light. When it died down, she smirked.

_This is gonna be so much fun, _Alyssa thought, turning onto the road that led to her uncle's mansion several miles away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
_A/N:_ I have no clue what just happened, so if you have an idea of what happened, then you should review me and tell me what you think. Okay? Thank you and I hope you review the next chapter too.


	10. Chapter 10

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Ten**

Alyssa woke up again and found herself tangled in her black sheets. She sat up and realized that she was still wearing her black leather jacket. She sighed, knowing that she had been exhausted when she had come home, so she probably just threw herself in her bed without much thought.

She glanced out her window and saw that a bird was chirping just outside of it. She hissed and grabbed her dueling deck. She looked through it and smirked when she found a good card. She held it up and a huge white tiger came running out of the card and devoured the bird.

"Well, that was a total waste of time." Alyssa said, scratching the tiger in between the ears. "And I don't know if I want to go to work today."

The tiger growled and she sighed. "Fine, Soul Tiger, your purpose is over, but you remain out here and guard this room while I find something to wear." Alyssa ordered, getting to her feet and removing her jacket.

Soul Tiger lay down on her bed and watched the door, flicking his tail slightly. Alyssa walked into her walk in closet and reached into the very back, finding a pair of tight, leather pants and a black see through lace shirt with no sleeves and a low neck line. She hardly ever wore these clothes, so she couldn't think of a reason not to wear them now.

After she had pulled everything on, she found a pair of black studded high heeled boots to go with her outfit and a pair of sunglasses that had once been Bandit Keith's. She put them in her pocket before exiting her closet.

She paused in front of the mirror on her vanity and smirked at her reflection. Her hair was black and had a few red streaks. Her lips were blood red now and stood out more, but did not hide the fact that the bottom one was split. Another prominent change in her image was her eye color. No longer were her eyes bright green, but now they were a fiery scarlet. She didn't know how these changes had happened and she really didn't care. She actually liked this new Alyssa.

"Come on, my pet," Alyssa said, opening her bedroom door and glancing back at Soul Tiger. "Let's go see what we can do today."

Soul Tiger nudged her dueling deck with his nose and gave a low growl. Alyssa sighed and picked up her dueling deck and her jacket.

"Let's go now." she said, glaring at the large feline.

Soul Tiger leapt lightly off the bed and started following her down the hall. A maid spotted the tiger behind Alyssa and screamed before fainting. Alyssa chuckled and continued on her way through the mansion. To her displeasure, she didn't run into her uncle on the way outside and sighed.

_There's always after work, _she thought, climbing onto the back of Soul Tiger. _Hm…work. I can't wait to see how Kaiba is doing after our little chat last night._

Alyssa unconsciously licked her bottom lip again, feeling the sting of her wound. It sent a shiver of pleasure up her spine.

"Let's go to the Kaiba Corp building, my pet." she said. "I want to hear people scream!"

Soul Tiger roared and started running towards the distant KC building. Alyssa's deck glowed for a second and a small monster shot out of it. She glanced at it as it ran away and dismissed it as being nothing to worry about.

_And for lunch, I think I will have some rare steak, _Alyssa thought, smiling at the thought of that meal. _I can't wait…_

XXXXXXXXXX

_**Yugi, wake up.**_

"Five more mintues." Yugi muttered into his pillow.

_**Yugi, wake up now!**_

"In five minutes." Yugi stated, trying to go back to Dreamland.

_**Get up NOW!!!**_

Yugi toppled out of his bed and looked up at Yami, who was sitting on the end of his bed, arms crossed. Yugi pushed himself onto his knees before wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"What is this about, Yami?" he asked. "And it better be good."

_**Look. **_Yami pointed towards Yugi's window.

Just outside of his window, was a girl. She was just floating there looking at him as her dark purple hair floated around her face.

"What is that?" Yugi asked, pointing at it.

_**I believe that's a Duel Monster. Performance of the Sword, to be exact. **_

The girl nodded and rapped on the window.

"Uh…what does it want?" Yugi asked.

_**Let her in and then we will see.**_

Yugi got to his feet and walked over to the window. The instant he opened it and moved out of the way, the Performance of the Sword dancer jumped in. She stood in the middle of Yugi's room and stared at him and Yami.

"Uh…what do you want?" Yugi questioned.

"You are friends with Alyssa, are you not?" the Duel Monster asked, staring at him with questioning purple eyes.

"Yes. We are."

"Then perhaps you can help."

_**With what?**_

The Duel Monster shook her head and walked over to the window. She pointed down at the street. "Look for yourself."

Yami and Yugi walked back over to the window and saw that a girl was down there, on the back of Soul Tiger, staring up at them. Yami glanced back at the taller Duel Monster.

_**That's Alyssa?**_

The Duel Monster nodded and backed away. "She has great evil coursing through her veins now and that is polluting her Monsters. I was lucky enough to escape before I was turned as well."

"Hey! That girl is leaving!" Yugi exclaimed, watching the girl on the tiger urge her tiger into a run again. "And it looks like she is heading towards the KC building."

_**She works there, Yugi. So of course she'd be going there.**_

Yugi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, that would make sense."

"I must go there as well and try to keep the evil within her at bay." the Duel Monster said, looking at Yami. "I will need your help in turning her back to the way she was before." She glanced at Yugi, who was mumbling to himself. "The boy will remember nothing of this, though."

_**I understand.**_

The Duel Monster, raised her hand and something purple flew out of her palm and hit Yugi in the forehead. His eyes rolled back before they closed and he fell to the floor. The Duel Monster walked over to the window and jumped out, closing it behind her.

Yami returned to his position on the end of the bed as Yugi opened his eyes and glared at him.

"Why do I have to be up again?" he asked, crossing his arms.

_**Because I was bored and wanted someone to torture before we went to see the others.**_

Yugi stuck his tongue out at him. Then he looked at the window. "I had the strangest dream." he muttered. "Alyssa looked like one badass biker chick and was on the back of a Duel Monster and another one came and talked to you…WHY WAS I DREAMING ABOUT ALYSSA!?! SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!!!"

_**No. The weird, overly happy, likes to beat up people for no reason cousin of hers is your girlfriend. And I wouldn't tell her that you were dreaming of Alyssa because I do not feel like defending you again from her wrath.**_

"That's because she beat you last time." Yugi said, smiling slightly.

Yami looked away from him. _**I let her win because she's a girl and she was wearing a skirt.**_

"Whatever. You always lose against Alyssa and she NEVER wears a skirt."

_**She fights dirty.**_

"So?"

_**You dreamed about Alyssa.**_

"SHUT UP!!!!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi and the gang were watching Carrie roll on the ground, laughing her head off at the things that Yugi had said. All of them except her had a huge sweat drop.

"You dreamed that a half naked Duel Monster came into your room to warn you about the 'great evil' in my cousin!?!" Carrie laughed, holding onto her sides because they hurt so much from laughing. "That is so like you!"

"How do you figure?" Yugi asked.

Carrie sat up and exchanged looks with Tea. "It's so obvious, Yugi. You are like all the other guys out there who are horny little perverts and fantasize constantly over half naked women…and cars." she said, crossing her arms. "But mostly it's just about women…and cars."

Joey scratched his chin. "We do that all, huh?"

"C'mon, Joey. You should know exactly what you do because you and Tristan are prime examples of the male species gone all horny." Tea said, crossing her arms and staring at him. "And you all wonder why I go for older men."

"But you don't have a boyfriend." Tristan pointed out.

A nerve throbbed in Tea's forehead and she brought her fist down on Tristan's head, knocking him to the ground. A large bump grew out of the top of his head.

"I think I already knew that, Tristan!" she growled. "But I don't need you to remind me constantly!"

"S-sorry, Tea." Tristan said, eyes still swirls as he rubbed his poor head. "I won't do it again."

Tea stomped his face into the ground. "Like hell you won't!" she hissed.

A blast of white energy zoomed just past her head and exploded into an abandoned building. Her eyes got all wide as everyone turned to see Alyssa, leaning against a large Soul Tiger, holding a cheeseburger in one hand. She looked different and pissed.

"Don't hurt Tristan!" she snapped, her eyes glowing from behind her sunglasses.

Tea immediately jumped back and hid behind Joey. "I'm sorry." she squeaked.

Tristan picked himself off the ground and pushed the bump back into his head. He glanced at Alyssa and let his jaw drop.

"Alyssa, what…what happened to you?" Carrie asked, staring at her cousin.

"I changed." Alyssa stated before taking a bite out of her cheeseburger.

"That's tofu, right?" Tea asked, pointing at the burger.

"Nope." Alyssa stated, smirking. "One hundred percent beef patty with all that yummy goodness."

Joey hugged Tristan in fear. "She's eating _meat, _Tristan!" he exclaimed. "_Alyssa _is eating _meat!_"

"I can see that, man." Tristan said, pushing Joey away from him. He took a cautious step towards Alyssa, but Soul Tiger growled and he froze. "Alyssa, what happened to you?"

"Life happened." Alyssa said, giving the rest of her cheeseburger to Soul Tiger. "I woke up and realized that I'm tired of being pushed around by other people and that I want to have some things go my way for once."

Yugi just stared at her in silence. She took off her sunglasses and glanced at him.

"So, Yugi, what did that Monster look like?" she asked.

"Um…Performance of-."

_**Don't tell her the truth. Tell her that it was something else.**_

"It was Amazon Piper." Yugi lied.

Alyssa smirked as she looked at him. "Are you sure it was that Monster?"

"Yes. Perfectly sure." Yugi lied again, trying to keep his voice strong.

"Very well." Alyssa said, fingering her dueling deck. "I will see you all later then." She glanced at Tea. "And don't think about returning to Tristan's punishment because he speaks the truth."

Tea hid further behind Joey.

Alyssa sneered. "There is no way in the world that the Pharaoh will ever love you with all of your friendship talk. It gets very annoying. And makes you worse than that annoying little twit Ishizu."

She turned her back on the gang and walked lightly over to her Soul Tiger. She climbed lightly onto his back.

"I'll see you guys later, maybe." she purred, putting her sunglasses back on before the tiger ran off.

Tristan looked down at the gouge marks the Soul Tiger's claws had left in the black top. He sweat dropped. "I don't want to come across that thing in a dark alley!" he said, pointing after Alyssa.

"Which thing? The Duel Monster or Alyssa?" Carrie asked, still sitting on the ground.

"I don't want to come across Alyssa." Joey stated. "Compared to her, that Duel Monster is cute and harmless little pussy cat."

They all got in such a heated argument about who was scarier that no one noticed that Yugi had walked away.

_**This isn't good.**_

_Yami, what's going on._

_**This isn't good.**_

_Yami, what's not good?_

_**This isn't good.**_

_YAMI! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!_

_**This isn't good and we need to talk to Ishizu. And Performance of the Sword.**_

_But why must we talk to the talk-a-lot Ishtar?_

_**Because she can help us find out what's wrong with Alyssa.**_

_Wouldn't it just be easier to talk to one and not the other. Or maybe we could just ask Alyssa herself._

_**And what are you going to do? Walk over to her and go 'Alyssa, what's wrong with you?' and hope that her new pet won't eat your head off? That's really smart, Yugi.**_

_Hey! No idea's a bad idea!_

_**Fine. We'll go ask Alyssa.**_

_What!?! That's a horrible idea!_

_**I'm glad that you see it my way, for once.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba was looking at a report on his computer from the Fuukais and was satisfied that they were going to purchase a lot of Kaiba Corp technology and help sponsor some more of the newest breakthroughs. A large manila folder was dropped onto his desk with a loud slapping sound. He jumped and looked at the cause of the disruption. His jaw almost dropped.

"Alyssa?" Kaiba asked, cocking an eyebrow at her new appearance.

Alyssa smirked at him. She had lost her jacket somewhere behind her desk and didn't really care that her black bra was showing through her shirt somewhat. She leaned forward. "I thought I told you not to talk to me today." she said in a dangerously low voice.

"I'm your boss, so I can do whatever I want." Kaiba shot back. "And what the hell is this?" He gestured at the manila folder.

"Oh…this is just a whole bunch of letters and pictures from all the women that you have slept with over the past year or two that they sent to me." Alyssa said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And some of them were threatening to go public until I persuaded them not to. Do you think I was wrong?"

"No…"

"Well, I think I was wrong, but I guess there's no need to go public because all the girls now know that you don't keep your promises and that you are one big slut." She walked around his desk. "But maybe that's why I used to like you…and maybe I do still like you."

Kaiba watched as she came closer and turned his chair. She climbed onto his lap and stared at him. She ran her hand up his chest and smiled as she felt him shiver in pleasure and expectancy.

"You like this, huh?" she asked. She got a nod in response. She laughed softly. "Yes…I bet you do." She leaned forward and kissed him fiercely.

She pulled away a few moments later and got off of him before he could grab her. She laughed again at his confused expression.

"Did you honestly think that I would give into you after what happened yesterday?" she asked, crossing her arms again. "Because if you did, you are very dense. I could never ever go into the arms of a man who can not fill my needs and still love me for who I am at the same time." She shook her head and looked at him with scarlet eyes. "But don't worry. I won't tell anyone about your little affairs."

She winked and the manila folder on his desk burst into emerald flames. There was nothing left on his desk as Alyssa turned her back on him and exited the office.

"That was weird." Kaiba muttered, staring at the spot where the folder had been.

He heard a tap on the window and turned to see a Duel Monster fly away. It was a woman with purple hair.

_What the hell? Performance of the Sword? _Kaiba thought, watching the Monster disappear. _I must be going crazy…_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa sighed as she sank into her seat and started spinning in it. _So, some Monster thinks that she can ruin my fun, _she thought. _Well, she shall not stop me from getting what I want no matter how hard she tries..._

_**You can't do this to me!**_

_Shut up, you pesky little bitch! I gave you what you always wanted, closeness to Kaiba and the chance to make him yours, and this is how you repay me? Well, he shall still become yours, but you will have to pay for it!_

She turned and grabbed her dueling deck. She sorted through the cards, finally finding one she liked. She held it up, facing the window behind her desk. A man with bird wings sprouting from his back and bird feet appeared outside the window. He watched her expectantly with narrow red eyes.

"Go find the traitorous wench who ruins my fun and bring her to me in the park at sundown." Alyssa ordered, glaring at him.

The Duel Monster flew off in search of the traitor. Alyssa considered sending another monster out to spy on her friends and her cousin, but she deemed that a waste of her energy and time.

_Might as well get back to this boring job of mine, _she thought, returning to her computer. _Next time, I'll be a Marine or something…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: So this is the end of my update. Please review and tell me what you think is going on._


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: My update is late, I know. Sue me for having three younger sisters and a bunch of new kittens and a new job. After you're done with that, read my story._

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Eleven**

Yami had taken over Yugi's body when Yugi had established a video uplink to the Ishtar residence. Now he was patiently waiting for Odion to come back with someone, preferably Ishizu.

_**Maybe no one's home, **_Yugi suggested.

_I doubt it. _

Suddenly, Marik was sitting in the seat that was visible through the computer screen. He hadn't changed much in the years that had past. He was still tan, had long dirty blond hair, and had a smirk on his face.

"Pharaoh, what can I do for you?" he asked, staring at him.

"Where is your sister?" Yami questioned.

"She's out doing something for the museum or something. Seems like archaeologists have found some ancient priestess' tomb." Marik said, glancing at someone off screen. "But I'm sure whatever you need I can help with."

Yami thought about it for a second. "Do you know anything about Alyssa's incarnation?" he asked.

"Um…she was a very powerful priestess from your time." Marik informed him, wracking his brain for information. "No one knew her real name; they called her Neko because of her interest in cats. And she liked to dance and duel…that's pretty much all that has turned up about her." He looked at Yami. "But why do you need to know about her?"

"Did she possess a Millennium Item?"

"Not that anyone knows of. She did, however, have the Egyptian Eye that's on all of them tattooed on her right shoulder."

Yami sighed and heard movement to his right. He turned to see that Performance of the Sword was standing next to him, watching and listening.

"Pharaoh, is something wrong with Alyssa?" Marik asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"There might be, but I'm not sure." Yami admitted, looking back at him. "Did Neko ever show her Ka form?"

"Once or twice, but only during times of war. She did that mostly to stop the fighting and most of the time it worked. It was Performance of the Sword." Odion said from somewhere Yami could not see him.

"Then if her Ka form was passed down to Alyssa that would mean something is definitely wrong." Yami muttered more to himself than anyone. "And if she has that tattoo that must mean that she also is possessed by another being…possibly the bad half of Neko or someone…"

"Pharaoh, is Alyssa alright?" Marik asked, leaning forward.

"I don't know…" Yami admitted. "But her birthday is in 2 days and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you and your family showed up to make sure she was alright."

Marik brightened. "I will suggest that to Ishizu and we might see you then."

"Goodbye, Marik." Yami muttered, reaching to cut the connection.

"Goodbye, Pharaoh, see you at the party." Marik said, cutting the connection on his side.

Yami turned to look back at Performance of the Sword as the computer screen went black. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to warn you that Alyssa is getting worse." the Duel Monster said, sadness showing through her purple eyes. "I can sense her trying to escape, but she's not strong enough and she's getting weaker."

"I'll try to help her as much as I can, but you really should let me tell the others and let them see you." Yami stated, crossing his arms.

"I would if I was sure that I wouldn't be spotted by someone who would go crazy or someone who would take me back to Alyssa." Performance of the Sword said, crossing her arms. "I just can't go back there or I might be turned or destroyed."

"I wouldn't let that happen." Yami said.

They both heard a loud falcon like cry and turned to see the bird man flying outside of the window. Performance of the Sword took a step back.

"She knows…" she whispered.

"Is that Harpie's Brother?" Yami asked.

"Yes…"

Suddenly the other Duel Monster flew through the window in a shower of glass shards and flew at Performance of the Sword who brought her sword up to block his attack.

"Yami, get out of here!" she ordered, struggling to keep Harpie's Brother back.

Yami toppled out of his seat and started heading towards the door. Harpie's Brother let out another cry and another higher one came back. The door burst open and a blonde girl in revealing clothes with pink wings on her arms and talons on her hands and bird feet flew into the room. She smirked at Yami and laughed.

"Uh…I'd love to go, but can't." Yami muttered, backing away from Harpie Girl.

Performance of the Sword glanced over at Harpie Girl and her eyes narrowed. She then looked back at Harpie's Brother and forced him away from her. She grabbed Yami and forced him behind her.

"I can handle these two…" she stated. "I'm stronger than them."

Harpie's Brother let out a bone chilling laugh. "You act like we didn't come prepared." he said in a cold voice.

Harpie Girl brought out a rose whip and smiled. "I love this job." She flicked the whip at Performance of the Sword and caught her on the shoulder.

Performance of the Sword winced as the whip's thorns tore at her skin. Yami watched the scene unfold and the blood pour from Performance of the Sword's new wound.

"Are you sure there are no more Monsters that are on our side?" he asked.

"I don't know…I got out of there as fast as I could…" Performance of the Sword muttered, making a slicing motion with her sword as the rose whip came at her again.

The whip was instantly sliced in half and disintegrated in Harpie Girl's hands.

"Not fair!" Harpie Girl whined, crossing her arms.

Performance of the Sword glanced at the window and got an idea. She grabbed Yami and ran towards the window and jumped out. She made a slicing motion with her sword and a purple portal opened. She flew them through that and it closed before either of the Harpie Monsters could follow.

Yami landed on his knees as he and Performance of the Sword were thrown out of the portal, at his house now. She landed on her hurt shoulder and winced.

"Remind me to never do that again." Yami muttered and she nodded.

_**I thought it was awesome! **_Yugi said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa shook with fury as her Monsters came back empty handed. She had sent Harpie Girl to assist Harpie's Brother and now thought that had been a waste of time. The Monsters, though taller, were afraid of her.

"You two could not even capture one pathetic Monster!" she hissed, glaring at them as she fingered the collar that was now around Soul Tiger's neck. "That is just pathetic! I expected better of you two, but no!"

"We tried our best!" Harpie Girl declared, taking a step forward. "She just did her stupid portal trick and escaped with that Yami person!"

Alyssa's scarlet eyes glinted at those words. "What was he doing there?"

"Making a call to the Ishtar residence." Harpie's Brother stated. "It seems like he's worried about you. He's even allied himself with the traitor."

"Damn him!" Alyssa roared, eyes glowing in her anger.

Harpie Girl hid behind Harpie's Brother, who managed to keep his cool.

Alyssa started pacing. She had to do something. She just had to do something to stop them from putting her back. She wanted to keep her new freedom. She leaned against Soul Tiger and smirked.

"I want you two to keep an eye on my friends." she stated. "Tristan, Duke, Kaiba, Tea, Joey, Mai, Yugi, and Carrie."

"But there are two of us and eight of them. That's physically impossible." Harpie's Brother pointed out.

Alyssa nodded and pulled out her deck. She started selecting six more Monsters and held them out. They glowed with a scarlet light and the Monsters toppled out of the cards. She glared at them and they instantly got onto their feet.

"Warrior Dai Grepher," Alyssa said, looking at the tall warrior. "You will spy on Tristan."

The Duel Monster nodded and crossed his arms as he took a step back.

"Succubus Knight," Alyssa looked at the girl with devil horns sprouting from her head. "You'll be going to spy on Duke."

Succubus Knight smirked and moved to stand next to Warrior Dai Grepher.

"Gemini Elf," Alyssa looked at the twin elves. "You shall be going to spy on Kaiba and keep your hands off of him."

The two Monsters nodded and walked over to join their comrades. The blonde one giggled while the redhead just crossed her arms.

"Harpie's Brother, you shall spy on Tea." Alyssa ordered. "And Harpie Girl, you will spy on Joey."

The two said Monsters joined their comrades silently.

"D.D. Warrior Lady," Alyssa said and the scantily clad warrior looked at her. "You get Mai."

The Monster stalked off to stand next to Harpie Brother.

"Rapid-Fire Magician," the Monster continued to juggle his different colored orbs of magic. "You get to spy on Yugi boy."

The Monster smirked and walked over to D.D. Warrior Lady, resting his elbow on her shoulder.

"And that leaves you, Summoned Skull." Alyssa said, looking up at the demonic looking creature. "You get to follow my cousin."

The Duel Monster nodded and joined the ranks of his comrades, towering over most of them.

Alyssa looked over her small band of spies. She smirked. "You know your targets, follow them and report back to me every night at my room." she ordered. "And try to blend in with your surroundings. You can't let any civilian see you or that will result in severe punishment."

The Monsters shifted uncomfortably at the thought of their punishments. Alyssa crossed her arms.

"Well, go."

The Monsters disappeared in all directions. Harpie Girl and Harpie's Brother took off and flew in the same general direction after the others left. Alyssa watched them and got onto Soul Tiger's back.

"Let's go, my pet," Alyssa said. "There's a Midnight Circle race tonight and I need to be there."

The Monster growled before running off towards her uncle's mansion.

"And I guess you can come too, if you promise to behave."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Tristan was walking around town, window shopping as he thought of what he was going to get Alyssa for her birthday. A shadow passed behind him and he turned around, but no one was there.

_Easy, Tristan, _he thought. _Nothing bad is gonna happen out here to you. You're just jumpy because of the change in your best friend._

He heard something walking behind him and crouched down like he was tying his shoe. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a very tall man standing a few yards away from him, staring in a store window. He had a sheathed sword at his waist and had tattoos on his arm and on the side of his face.

_Is that another Duel Monster? _Tristan thought, openly staring at the guy now. _But how can that be?_

The man seemed to realize that Tristan was looking at him and turned to face him. He smirked and crossed his heavily muscled arms.

Tristan sweat dropped as he straightened and started walking away. The Duel Monster followed him. Tristan sped up his pace. The Monster did the same. Tristan broke out into a run and so did the Monster, actually the Monster pretty much jogged to keep Tristan in sight.

_What the hell is happening? _Tristan thought, trying to get home as quick as possible.

_This kid better not be as annoying as he looks or I might have to hurt him, _Warrior Dai Grepher thought, watching the guy run away like a chicken with its head chopped off.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Duke signed another paper that was forced in front of him by one of his employees. He was getting tired of all of the paper work and his hand was starting to cramp up. And there were still many adoring fan girls outside of that room that wanted his autograph.

_This is the price of being famous, _he thought, opening the door and bracing himself for the shrieks of delight from the fan girls. _But I guess it's worth it in the long run…_

He started signing autographs for the girls, but felt like he was being watched. He looked up and saw a girl standing next to a video game. She was wearing black pants and a tight red top with a bat on the front of it. She smirked at him and twisted a strand of her short dirty blond hair around her finger.

He looked away from her and suppressed the urge to shiver. That girl gave him the creeps, but reminded him of something. Like a Duel Monster card, but he couldn't remember the name of it.

An hour later, he was standing at the concession stand, talking to another employee and felt like he was being watched again. The same girl was at the end of the bar, drinking a soda. He felt another shiver go up his spine and looked away. Something was definitely unsettling about that girl's red eyes. And he had an eerie feeling that he knew her from somewhere.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba's car battery had died somehow in the parking lot and the mechanic wouldn't be there until later. He had to get home because he had given Alyssa the night off, but there was no way that he was going to call for a taxi. He started walking the mile and a half towards his house, knowing that he would look ridiculous if someone saw him.

He heard a giggle behind him and turned to see two girls standing at a bus stop. They looked like a pair of foreign models and they were watching him. The blonde one looked like the more fun loving of the two.

He rolled his eyes and continued walking. He heard the sound of high heels on the pavement and glanced over his shoulder to see that the two girls were following him. He had a feeling that he knew them, but he dismissed it. There was no way that he knew two women who were taller than him and had tattoos on their faces.

"Having problems, honey?" the blonde asked before getting smacked on the arm by her redhead friend.

Kaiba ignored them and continued walking. _Prostitutes, _he thought in disgust. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone, making a call to his chauffeur and his limo. There was no way that he was going to walk home with these two following him where anyone could see him.

The limo pulled alongside of him a few minutes later and he climbed into it. It started moving forward once more and Kaiba opened the window to let the cool night air into the back of the limo. He looked over at the sidewalk and saw that the two women were running alongside the limo at an inhuman speed. The blonde looked over at him and blew a kiss as she continued running. She and her friend laughed at his confused look.

_Where do I know these two from? _Kaiba thought, closing the power window once more. _And what the hell is going on here?_

XXXXXXXXXXX

Tea and Joey hanging out at the Fun Zone talking about how scary Alyssa had become. Actually, it was basically Joey talking about Alyssa and Tea was thinking about the Pharaoh in one of her fantasies. Joey let out a victory shout when he beat the game. Someone bumped into him on their way around them and he turned to yell at them.

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE-," He saw that he was yelling at a tall man with cold red eyes. "Going…"

The man walked away and kept his hands firmly in his long coat pockets. A blonde girl followed him, but winked at Joey.

"She's cute." Joey whispered, watching the girl walk away in the same kind of coat as the man.

"And that man is probably her boyfriend." Tea said, coming out of her fantasy land. "So if you don't watch out, he may hurt you for checking out his girlfriend."

Joey shrugged and started sucking on his straw, trying to get the rest of the soda out of his cup before it got hot. The blonde tried to hug the man, but he pushed her away and turned his head away. The blonde crossed her arms and stomped her booted foot. Joey thought he saw the guy chuckle at the girl's display of displeasure.

"But if he liked her, wouldn't they be, like, hugging or holding hands or something?" Joey asked, glancing at Tea who was staring at the man with heart shaped eyes because she obviously thought he was cute in a dark way.

"That would make sense." Tea muttered, nodding her head slowly. "But they're not and maybe they don't have to."

The tall man glanced over at her and smirked. Tea almost fell down as she saw his glowing red eyes.

"That's not normal." she whispered.

The blonde girl slapped the man on the arm and said something that they couldn't hear from where they stood. The man chuckled and she hit him again. This time, he struck her and there were three long scratches across the blonde's cheek. She hissed as blood trickled down from the wounds and the man just crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"That's not right!" Joey exclaimed, setting his drink down and starting to march over to where the man stood.

"Joey, don't do anything stupid!" Tea urged. "That guy's a lot bigger than you and looks really tough!"

Joey ignored her and marched over to the guy. The man looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Didn't anyone tell you that you're not supposed to hit a girl?" Joey questioned, putting a finger in the man's face.

"Get out of here, shrimp, and keep your nose out of my business." the man ordered in a cold voice.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Joey asked, crossing his arms.

The man smirked and pulled one of his hands out of his pockets. He let the talons on his fingers shine in the light. Joey instantly sweat dropped and backed up and into the blonde. He turned to face her.

"And you're with this guy?" he asked.

She nodded her head and kept her hands in her pockets as well.

"Well, you're coming with me!" Joey declared.

She shook her head and showed him one of her hands, revealing the talons that were on it. Tea grabbed Joey and pushed him behind her.

"Uh…sorry about my friend…he just had too much soda and the lights are driving him crazy…you know…it happens to us all sometimes…" Tea mumbled, smiling. "So we'll just be going now…"

The man nodded and looked away. The blonde smiled sadly and leaned against the wall next to the man. Tea dragged Joey behind a game console and crouched down next to him.

"Did you see their hands?" she asked. "They could have ripped you to shreds!"

Joey was staring at something in his hand. Tea glanced at it and saw that it was a pink feather.

"Where did you get that?" she asked.

"The girl…Tea," he gulped and looked up at her. "I think they're Duel Monsters!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mai was painting Carrie's nails a bright red as they talked on the front porch of her house. She wasn't exactly sure if Carrie was actually paying attention to a word that she said about fashion and Joey and all the stuff that she was interested in.

"So, Carrie, am I invited to your cousin's party?" Mai asked, hoping that would make Carrie reply.

"Yeah…I think so." Carrie muttered, blowing on her finished nails. "It's not like she's mad at you for dating Joey behind her back. I actually think she was relieved."

"Good, because I have the perfect gift for her!" Mai exclaimed, pulling Carrie's foot onto her lap and started painting the girl's toe nails.

"Ooh!" Carrie said, looking interested now. "What is it? Tell me! Tell me!"

"No. It's a surprise." Mai stated, smiling slightly.

"Aw…spoil sport!" Carrie complained, crossing her arms. "I got her a book about vampires and demons and a one year membership to anger management classes at the community center."

"The books seem like a nice idea because she kind of looks like a vampire now." Mai said, putting Carrie's foot down and grabbing the other one.

"Oh, so you saw her?"

"Yes, and I never thought I'd see the day that Alyssa would eat steak. And it was rare, too!"

"Definitely a vampire now." Carrie said. "I hope you have tons of holy water and garlic saved up." She started laughing. "But seriously, she does look like a vampire and I don't know why she did it!"

Mai nodded and heard a whole bunch of dogs start barking. She looked at the street and dropped the finger nail polish bottle that she had been closing. She just stared at the street with wide eyes. Carrie followed her gaze and her eyes went all wide too.

A woman that was scantily clad was sitting on the roof of a car while a demonic looking giant stood in the middle of the road with his arms crossed. Carrie looked at Mai.

"Uh…about that holy water…"she muttered.

"I don't have any…do you?" Mai asked.

Carrie shook her head and got to her feet quickly. Mai was already on her feet. Both girls screamed and ran into the house, slamming the door behind them.

D.D. Warrior Lady looked over at Summoned Skull and smirked. "It seems like they don't really like you." she said.

Summoned Skull just laughed and they moved closer to the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi sat at his desk, watching Performance of the Sword pace around the room. She had bandaged her shoulder an hour ago, but the blood was staining her bandage and started leaking. She didn't seem to notice.

_**Yugi, close the blinds now.**_

Yugi stood up and hastened to obey Yami's order. He glanced out his window before closing the blinds and saw a man juggling glowing orbs on the sidewalk. He glanced back at Performance of the Sword.

She was standing still now.

"She doesn't trust you anymore." Performance of the Sword said. "So now you're in just as much trouble as the rest of her enemies."

_This can't be good. _Yugi thought.

_**It's not, and we need to know more about what we're going up against. And there's not much time for that. **_

"I hope you two are ready for war." Performance of the Sword stated.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Woohoo! War!! I love war! Not really, but fictional wars rock! So if you're a fan of Duel Monster wars, review me and then go onto the next chapter._


	12. Chapter 12

XXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twelve**

The gang and the Ishtar trio had gathered at the Fun Zone on Halloween for Alyssa's party. She hadn't shown up yet, but that just gave them time to talk about the strange people that had been following them for the past couple of days.

"And the demon guy was, like, huge!" Carrie exclaimed, waving her gloved hands in the air. "And I thought he was going to eat me or Mai!!!"

"But you're dressed as a demon." Tristan pointed out.

Carrie rubbed the back of her neck and smiled. "I guess I am, but that guy was really weird."

Someone tapped Yugi on the shoulder and he looked up to see that Performance of the Sword was standing behind him. The gang's mouths dropped open and they all hid behind Odion and Marik.

"Uh…guys, she's a friend." Yugi said, smiling at them.

Carrie walked around Odion and put her hands on her hips. "AND why is she standing so close to you?" she asked.

Performance of the Sword smirked and vanished. She was suddenly standing a foot away from Carrie. "He is helping me with your cousin's problem, Dum-Dum." she said.

Tristan, Duke, and Joey were openly drooling over Performance of the Sword. Mai grabbed Joey by his ear and pulled him away from the Duel Monster.

"So, something is wrong with Alyssa!" Marik declared as Odion and Ishizu started talking in fast whispers in Egyptian. "I knew it! Well, I am here to help!"

"Then you can help protect her cousin from the big demon guy!" Carrie exclaimed.

"Uh…is that it?" Tea asked, adjusting her angel wing as she pointed at the entrance.

Carrie looked over at the entrance and instantly hid behind Yugi. "It's the demon guy!!! He's going to eat me!!!"

Summoned Skull looked over at the group and smirked. Alyssa glared up at him as she led Bandit Keith and Kathy towards the gang. Her small band of Duel Monsters hovered around the entrance.

"Uh…Alyssa, what are you doing with those people?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, because none of them are on the guest list." Duke said, crossing his arms.

Alyssa smirked. "I'd like to see you try to tell any of them that they have to leave," she said. The two boys sweat dropped and backed away. Alyssa glanced over her shoulder at the Duel Monsters and waved her hand.

The Duel Monsters separated and started walking amongst the different game consoles. Odion's eyes followed their every move.

Alyssa glanced at the Ishtars and smiled. "I missed you guys!" she said, pulling Marik into a huge hug.

"We missed you, too!" Marik said, smiling brightly.

Alyssa gave Odion a hug, too, and shook hands with Ishizu because she didn't feel like giving her a hug. She could feel the woman's studying eyes on her and shrugged the feeling off. She looked behind Yugi and spotted Performance of the Sword. She suppressed the growl in her throat and pulled a cat out of her backpack. It was made of pure blue energy and it grew to the height of a normal tiger when she dropped it. It growled and walked over to Performance of the Sword.

"So, is this a party or are we just going to stand around talking?" Alyssa asked, smiling at the gang. "Because I don't know about you all, but I feel like having some fun here."

She only got a spatter of muttering from the group and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Marik's hand and pulled him towards the dancing station.

"I hope you can dance…" she said, pressing the button that started the game up.

"I can." Marik stated, crossing his arms. "So don't complain when you lose."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Uh…Yugi, that guy has been staring at you for the past half hour." Carrie whispered, pointing at the guy who was juggling glowing orbs in one hand.

Yugi glanced at him and saw that the guy had his hat pulled low over one eye but the other one was focused on him. He looked away quickly.

"And the demon guy's watching you." he pointed out.

"I know and I wish he'd stop." Carrie muttered, looking into her soda like she wished she could drown herself in it. "This is getting so annoying and creepy."

"Those two should be familiar to you two." Performance of the Sword said, sitting on the floor next to their table, trying to be as small as possible. "They are Duel Monsters after all."

"Well, Carrie's demon guy looks kind of like Summoned Skull." Yugi mumbled, jerking his thumb in the direction where the Duel Monster was having an argument with a female Duel Monster.

"And Yugi's friend looks like that Rapid-Fire Magician Duel Monster." Carrie said, gesturing at him. "But he's cuter in person…"

"HEY!!!" Yugi exclaimed as Carrie burst into a fit of giggles.

Performance of the Sword smirked. "You humans are so strange sometimes."

"Thank you." Carrie said, smiling at her. "But how'd you get out?"

"The same way all Monsters get out. We're summoned, but I know the good Alyssa was the one who summoned me…and that probably used most of her strength…"

"Don't worry about it. Alyssa will pull through in the end." Carrie said. "And so do you know who the other people are?"

Performance of the Sword looked over at the different Monsters. "Say the name of one of your friends and I will tell you what their follower is."

"Tristan." Carrie whispered.

"Warrior Dai Grepher." Performance of the Sword stated.

"And what about Tea?" Yugi asked.

"Harpie's Brother."

"And Joey?" Carrie asked.

"Harpie Girl."

"Duke?"

"Succubus Knight."

"He should have fun with that." Carrie commented with a small smirk.

"Doubt it." Performance of the Sword said. "She usually kills the men that fall for her."

"Okay. What about Mai?" Yugi asked.

"D.D. Warrior Lady."

"Hm…these are all cards that Alyssa plays regularly on the playing field." Yugi muttered, thinking about why she would have them out.

"We're missing one though." Carrie pointed out. "Actually, I think it should count as two because there are two of them."

Performance of the Sword nodded. "She must have sent Gemini Elf out to spy on someone else."

"Well, it can't be Bandit Keith because he's here and there's no Monster for him." Tristan said, coming over with Warrior Dai Grepher lagging behind casually. "Which means he's lucky."

"Will you kids shut your yaps about me!?!" Bandit Keith snapped, taking a swig of the beer he had brought with him. "You're acting like these people are Duel Monsters when Duel Monsters are just part of a damn game!"

This caused the dozing Soul Tiger to raise his head and growl at Bandit Keith. Of course, he ignored it. Alyssa walked over with Marik and Kathy, laughing lightly.

"Well, Alyssa, I'm sorry, but I should really go." Kathy muttered. "I have to pull double shift tomorrow for the entire KC inventory…"

"I understand." Alyssa said, giving her friend a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Bandit Keith waved and steered his little sister away. Soul Tiger waited until they were gone before putting his head back onto his forepaws. Marik handed Alyssa a soda and put his arm back around her waist. She just smiled as she sipped the beverage.

"So, when do we open the presents?" she asked.

"Uh…when you tell us what Kaiba is doing here." Carrie stated, pointing at the door.

Alyssa glanced over at it and saw that Kaiba was standing there as Mokuba ran over to her, holding a present under his arm. She removed herself from Marik's grasp and squeezed Mokuba in a big hug.

"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, holding out the present.

Alyssa took the present and put it on the table that was already littered with presents from the others, varying in size and shape. She made sure that her leather zip up the front shirt was zipped almost all the way up as she turned around and looked at Kaiba, who was now a bit closer. A few seconds later, Gemini Elf pushed past him and the twin elves started laughing as they walked towards the other Duel Monsters.

"So, I'm glad to see that you made it, Kaiba." Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "But you're a bit late."

"Uh…that was my fault…" Mokuba admitted, raising his hand. "I had a problem with the wrapping paper and my costume (he was dressed as a zombie). I like your costume, by the way."

Alyssa glanced at the others and silently dared them to reveal to Kaiba, Mokuba, and the Ishtars that her outfit was not a costume. No one said anything.

"Thank you, Mokuba." Alyssa said, giving him another hug.

"CAKE TIME!!!" Joey yelled, running over as Duke and Tristan came over holding a large cake.

Alyssa smiled slightly. "You guys didn't have to do this for me." she said, walking over to the table with Mokuba's hand in hers. Kaiba kept his distance from the gang.

"Of course we did!" Tristan declared. "You're our friend and we know you'd do the same for us."

"Yeah. So hurry up and blow out the candles." Carrie ordered. "We want cake without wax!"

"I'll eat the cake even if there is wax on it." Joey said, staring at the cake, drooling slightly on Tea's shoes.

Alyssa thought about what she should wish for and glanced over her shoulder at Kaiba. She smirked and blew the candles out. Duke instantly started cutting the cake and Tristan passed the slices out. Alyssa sat on the bar next to Marik as she munched away at her chocolate slice. Her eyes never moved away from Kaiba as he took the piece of cake that Mokuba brought him. When all the others moved away from the cake and Joey had stolen his fifth piece she glanced at the Duel Monsters and nodded. The smaller ones, which were just the girls, moved to get some cake for their comrades. Everyone gave them their space and watched them as they devoured their cake.

"Whose birthday is next?" Joey asked, licking the icing off of his plate.

"I don't think there's another birthday until next year." Carrie said, watching Joey for his reaction.

"NO CAKE!?! I WANT MORE CAKE!!!" Joey howled. "I need cake!!!"

"Joey, you just ate five large pieces." Mai pointed out. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't puke all over my car's upholstery."

Joey held his stomach and fell to the ground. "I think I ate too much." he muttered. "But I don't think I'll get sick."

"Loser." Kaiba muttered low enough for no one except Alyssa and her Duel Monsters to hear.

Alyssa saw Harpie Girl get mad and lose her appetite. She handed her cake over to Summoned Skull, who devoured it happily. Harpie's Brother wrapped a blood red wing around the smaller Duel Monster and she snuggled closer to him.

"I HAVE AN IDEA EVERYONE!!!" Carrie exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"What is it?" Tea asked.

"We should have a singing contest!" Carrie declared.

"I think I have a karaoke machine somewhere in the back room." Duke muttered, looking thoughtful before getting up. "I'll go see."

Alyssa watched him leave and sighed. "Does that mean we all have to sing?" she asked.

"Well, you most definitely have to sing, but anyone else who's not a chicken can sing, too." Carrie said, nudging Yugi. "You're going to sing, right?"

"Uh…I don't know." Yugi muttered.

"But what if I don't want to sing?" Alyssa questioned, setting her plate aside and making it catch fire which was something that did not escape Odion's and Ishizu's eyes.

"Well, you're going to do it anyway because this is your party and I said you have to!" Carrie snapped, crossing her arms.

Alyssa felt her temper start to rise, but knew better than to show her anger in front of the Ishtars because she knew that they would try anything to put her back the way she had been. She shrugged and looked away.

Shortly after that, Duke came out of the back room, struggling to hold up the karaoke machine. Alyssa looked over at Warrior Dai Grepher because he was closer and gestured at Duke with her eyes. The Duel Monster got the message and plucked the machine from Duke's arms just as he was about to drop it.

"Where do you want it?" the Duel Monster asked, looking down at Duke.

Duke glanced over at Carrie, who pointed at the small stage where small bands would come and play. Warrior Dai Grepher set the machine down before walking back over to Gemini Elf. Duke started plugging it in.

Alyssa thought about the song she should sing and smirked. She knew the perfect one that would probably make Kaiba mad at her.

XXXXXXXXXXX  
So, most of the group was sweat dropping now. Joey had gone up on stage and sang 'I Wanna Talk About Me' and he was actually dressed as a cowboy which caused Tristan and Carrie to fall off of their chairs, laughing their asses off.

Then came Duke who sung 'I'm Too Sexy' and Alyssa had sent Succubus Knight to drag him off stage half way through the song. The Duel Monster had received applause for that.

After that disaster, Mai strutted onto stage and sang 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Almost everyone clapped for her. Kaiba was probably the only one besides Harpie's Brother that didn't clap.

Carrie came up next and sang 'Irreplaceable'. She was pretty good and so she received some applause.

With some persuasion, they managed to convince Performance of the Sword onto the stage, although she chose to sit on the edge of it because she was so tall. She sang 'Keep Holding On' and Joey just couldn't stop drooling over her until Mai whacked him over the head with his plastic gun.

Everyone decided it was Alyssa's turn when the clock said that it was midnight. She just sat there, staring at them like they were crazy.

"But I can't sing." she lied.

"I heard differently when I walked in on you dancing and singing into your remote." Kaiba said, smirking at her.

She sent him a death glare that completely unfazed him. She turned her face away from him and found herself staring into Marik's royal purple puppy dog eyes.

"Please sing." he begged in a quiet voice.

Alyssa sighed and jumped off of the bar. "Alright, I'll sing, but you guys better not laugh at my horrible vocal chords."

No one said a word as she walked onto the stage and took the microphone. She looked through the list of songs that the machine was programmed to play and found the one she liked. She pushed the number into the machine and glanced at Kaiba as the music started playing. She didn't need the lyrics on the screen in front of her to help her. She knew the song by heart. She sang 'Because of You'.

When she was finished, the gang called out for more music. She blushed and looked back at the song list. She selected another one and when she looked up again as the music played, she saw that Kaiba was gone. Gemini Elf looked at her and pointed at the doors and she knew that he was just out there to get some fresh air.

So she started singing 'I've Got Friends In Low Places' and almost laughed as Tristan and Joey started swaying and singing with her.

The Duel Monsters couldn't even hide their smiles as people kept coming up and did funny stuff as they sang. Succubus Knight sang 'Oops, I Did It Again' and Harpie Girl sang 'Don't Laugh at Me'.

Alyssa looked up as she heard that song and looked away when she saw that Yugi and Ishizu were looking at her. She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she leaned closer to Marik, who put an arm around her shoulders.

XXXXXXXXXX

The party ended at around 3 in the morning and the gang went off in different directions. Alyssa saw the Ishtars off in a taxi, thanking them for the presents they had given her. Her presents had been put on the back of Soul Tiger who had run off towards her uncle's mansion and would wait for her just outside of it. The other Duel Monsters went off after their targets.

Alyssa turned her back when Kaiba put a sleepy Mokuba in the back of the limo and closed the door. She started walking away when she heard someone walking behind her. She stopped and wrapped her bare arms around herself.

"You really should have gone with him." she whispered. "He'll be all by himself in that mansion."

"I asked Kiba to watch him while I took care of some business." Kaiba said from behind her.

Alyssa smirked. "So now I'm 'business'? That's nice." she muttered. "Well, say what you have to say and hurry home to your brother because he needs you." She suppressed the urge to shiver in the cold.

Suddenly, she felt something slide onto her shoulders and she looked at one of them and saw that Kaiba had placed his jacket around her. She glanced at him.

"Thanks…" she mumbled.

"Why were you crying when you heard that song?" Kaiba asked, looking down at her.

Alyssa shrugged. "It just reminded me of how I felt back before I realized that I was strong." She sighed. "And I guess I shouldn't have cried because it shows weakness."

Kaiba shook his head. "It doesn't. It shows that you are human."

Alyssa looked shocked. "Are you feeling alright? Because you are starting to scare me with the way you're talking."

"I know I've made some stupid mistakes in my life and I'm trying to fix them and I will need your help." Kaiba said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants.

Alyssa nodded. "I'll help. But I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Why'd you leave when I sang 'Because of You'?"

"You struck a nerve and it hurt like hell." Kaiba stated.

Alyssa smirked. _And it's gonna get worse, _she thought.

_**Don't hurt him!**_

"Well, I'm still glad that you came to my party." Alyssa said.

Kaiba nodded and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Alyssa felt herself melt into it before her better half got the best of her and pulled herself away.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I don't know." Kaiba admitted.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and shoved the jacket back into his arms. "Keep this and call yourself a taxi." She whistled and a Curse of Dragon came out of nowhere. "And never pull a stunt like that again without knowing why." she added before climbing onto the Monster's back and kicked its sides.

The Monster flew up into the air and towards the Pegasus mansion, leaving Kaiba confused on the ground.

Alyssa touched her lips as she soared through the clouds on Curse of Dragon's back and smiled softly before her new cold look came back onto her face. _He better come up with a good explanation for doing that, _she thought.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: For those of you who hate the cold badass Alyssa, I'm here to warn you that she's going to be around for awhile, but there will be periods where she will seem almost normal. You'll find out why later. Only if you keep reading and reviewing. _


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Yugi heard the phone ring again and threw his pillow over it. That only muffled the sound and turned it into an angry buzz. He heard someone stand up and pick it up.

"Hello?" they asked.

Then Yugi felt someone shake him by his shoulder gently.

"Yugi, it's for you."

"Five more minutes, mom." Yugi muttered sleepily into his mattress.

"Yugi, I don't know if Carrie can wait five more minutes."

Yugi reached over and took the phone from Performance of the Sword. "What is it now, Carrie?" he asked.

"YUGI TURN THE NEWS ON NOW!!!!" Carrie screamed in his ear.

Yugi sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position on his bed. Performance of the Sword knelt on the floor beside his bed and turned the TV on. A story about a man being found dead with his daughter sitting next to him was on there.

"Yeah, what about it?" Yugi asked.

"THAT'S MY FATHER AND SISTER!!!!!" Carrie shouted going into complete hysterics now. "AND THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ME!!!"

"How do you know if that is your father and sister?" Yugi asked and Performance of the Sword gave him a look before turning the volume up on the TV.

'The man has been identified as Carl West and the girl has been identified as his daughter, Jessica West,' the bored looking reporter on the TV said. 'Their purpose here is still unknown, but the police think it may have something to do with Mr. West's other daughter, currently residing in Domino City, and his brother-in-law, Mr. Maximillion Pegasus. There are currently no suspects in the murder of this 49 year old man and the authorities say that Jessica is in no condition to say anything that makes sense. We will continue coverage on this story and return to you when we get new information. Back to you, Dave.'

_**So, it was her father. **_

"Carrie, I'm sorry about what happened to your father." Yugi said, hearing her hysterical cries.

"It's not like…it's…your fault…" Carrie cried. She sniffed. "I…I don't know….who could have d-done it!!"

Yugi looked at Performance of the Sword and she shook her head sadly.

_**I think I do.**_

"Listen, I'll be over to your house shortly." Yugi said, getting to his feet. "Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't…" Carrie promised before she hung up.

Yugi put his phone back in the charger. "There is no way that Alyssa would do something like this." he stated, glaring at Yami and Performance of the Sword.

_**She is not the Alyssa you knew. She is someone completely different and a lot more dangerous. She could do anything.**_

"But would she do something as drastic as murder someone or do something as stupid as leave a witness?" Yugi questioned.

"She could have ordered one of her Monsters to do it." Performance of the Sword suggested. "There's nothing to stop her from doing that."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa lifted her head away from her pillow when she heard a low growl. Soul Tiger was sitting next to her bed, looking at her with calm blue eyes.

"Did you do it?" she asked.

Soul Tiger bowed his head. Alyssa smirked and sat up. "Let me see your paws."

Soul Tiger jumped lightly onto the bed and rolled onto his back. A little blood was on the pads of his paws and Alyssa sighed. She grabbed a wash cloth beside her bed and started scrubbing the blood off the pads.

"You didn't leave any blood in the halls or on the street, did you?" Alyssa asked.

Soul Tiger shook his head. Alyssa sighed in relief and wiped the rest of the blood off of his pads and then made him extend his claws. Blood and bits of tissue were stuck to his claws, marring the ebony color. She could almost see the claws ripping the skin of his prey. She knew that he had done the same thing any tiger would do. Bite the prey in the neck so they suffocate in their own blood.

"You did well." she whispered, rubbing Soul Tiger's belly and ignoring the light tingling feeling that the fire gave her. "Now she won't be forced to leave."

Soul Tiger nodded and rolled off the bed, wandering out of her room again. Alyssa glanced at the blood stained cloth in her hand and made a fist. Smoke trailed out from in between her fingers and when she opened her hand, the cloth was gone.

_**You're going to get me in so much trouble with the police and my uncle that it won't be funny!**_

_There is nothing to link you to the murder of your uncle, _Alyssa pointed out, walking towards the bathroom for a shower. _So stop worrying. I know what I'm doing and it will be done my way or someone might get hurt._

The second voice in her head went silent and Alyssa smirked as she grabbed a fluffy red towel from the closet in the bathroom. She had been starting to wonder when that annoying little voice would leave her alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Performance of the Sword watched Yugi pace back and forth from his bed. He had been doing that for an hour and still hadn't even remembered his promise to Carrie. Yami wasn't paying attention to either of them because he was just staring out the window, looking for Rapid-Fire Magician. The Duel Monster wasn't anywhere to be seen, but Yami had a feeling that he was somewhere close.

"I don't see how Alyssa could do something like murder." Yugi said. "I mean, yeah her, new attitude is different and she got a totally freaky makeover. Not to mention her sudden craving for meat, fatty foods, and rare meat."

_**You said meat twice.**_

Yugi ignored Yami. "But that doesn't mean that she would go onto the evil side and murder someone. Well, not without a good reason and then, if she was evil, she would have killed Jessica instead of leaving her next to her father. That's another reason why Alyssa couldn't have done it."

Performance of the Sword sighed. "Who else do you know that has a killer tiger under their control?"

"Well…no one. But Alyssa didn't have a reason to order her own uncle dead."

"He was going to force me back to New York." Carrie said, standing in the doorway.

Yugi jumped and looked over at her. Her normally bright eyes were dim and red from crying so much. He could see the stains of tears on her cheeks and walked over and hugged her. That was all he could think about doing.

"I'm sorry." he whispered into her hair.

"I'm not…really." Carrie muttered. "He wasn't that good of a father, anyway. All he did was work, drink, and abuse me and Jessica. Luckily, I got away, but it seems like he didn't like that…whoever killed him did Jessica a favor."

Yugi pulled away from Carrie and saw that she was crying again. He glanced back at Yami, who shrugged and continued staring out the window.

"Taking a life is not doing someone a favor." Performance of the Sword stated, crossing her arms. "It's destroying a life to gain nothing in return. Completely pointless."

Carrie shot her a look of pure loathing. Performance of the Sword looked away and refused to say another word. Everyone jumped when the phone rang. Yugi ran over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Yugi, come to the museum and meet me in the basement. Bring Performance of the Sword." Ishizu said quickly. "I'll explain everything when you get there."

Before Yugi could say anything Ishizu had hung up. He glanced at Yami and saw that the spirit was looking at him now.

"Ishizu wants us to meet her at the museum." he said. "And she wants you to come with me." he added, looking at Performance of the Sword.

Performance of the Sword nodded and stood up. Yami glanced out the window and thought he saw the end of a black cloak vanish around a large truck parked across the street.

_**We might bring some unwanted company with us. **_

"Let me handle him." Performance of the Sword said, walking over to the window and jumping out.

"Is she a show off or what?" Carrie asked, joining Yugi over at the window.

"I don't know." Yugi muttered.

They watched as Performance of the Sword ran around the truck and in the next second, Rapid-Fire Magician was thrown over it. He landed on his back and quickly got to his feet. He smirked and threw several of the orbs at Performance of the Sword, who dodged them easily. Then the other Duel Monster was gone and Performance of the Sword got into a defensive position. Her purple eyes narrowed as she waited for Rapid-Fire Magician to show himself.

"Behind you." someone whispered.

Performance of the Sword spun around and came face to face with three Rapid-Fire Magicians. All three of them smirked and threw three orbs at her. Most of them connected with Performance of the Sword before she could block any of them.

There was a bright light from Yugi's room and Yami now stood in his place. He grabbed his own dueling deck and whipped the first card off the top, holding the card out. Another bright light shown as something shot from the card.

Performance of the Sword was about to get pounded by the three Rapid-Fire Magicians when something large and purple got in the way, blocking their attacks. She blinked and saw that Dark Magician was glancing over his shoulder at her to make sure that she was alright.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa put a hand to her chest as pain shot through her. Her eyes went wide for a second before they narrowed.

_Someone's fighting my servants, _she thought, nails biting into the palm of her other hand. _Well, I will not stand for this._

Her eyes started glowing and she smirked.

_Summoned Skull, defend your comrade and take down the opposition, _she ordered.

Somewhere far away, Summoned Skull opened his eyes and flew into action.

XXXXXXXXX

"IT'S THE DEMONIC GUY!!!!" Carrie shrieked, pointing at him as the large Duel Monster ran towards Performance of the Sword and Dark Magician.

"I thought we established that he was Summoned Skull." Yami said, glancing at her before turning around and running out of his room.

"Oh yeah." Carrie said, sweat dropping as she ran down the stairs and out of the store after Yami.

Her deck glowed slightly and she reached for it as Summoned Skull attacked Dark Magician from behind. Carrie glanced at it and pulled it out of its holder. The card on top was glowing and she pulled it off. Yami grabbed her hand and made the card face the battling Duel Monsters. Something shot out of it.

Performance of the Sword saw that a fairy had joined the fight. She smirked and got to her feet again. She threw Summoned Skull away from Dark Magician and made sure to keep her back towards Dark Magician's. Summoned Skull shot his lightning attacks at her and she ducked and made Dark Magician duck. The attack went straight into the chest of one of the Rapid-Fire Magicians making him explode in little pieces. She smirked and knew that Alyssa would be feeling the loss of her Monsters soon enough.

The two remaining Rapid-Fire Magicians glanced at each other and circled Gyakutenno Megami. The fairy smirked and whipped out a staff of light. She knocked their feet out from under them and stabbed them in the heart with the sharp end of the staff. The two Duel Monsters cried out before they exploded into thousands of little pieces that vanished before they hit the ground.

Performance of the Sword watched as Summoned Skull ran towards Dark Magician, who had his back turned because his attention had been diverted when Rapid-Fire Magician had been destroyed. She pushed him out of the way and let Summoned Skull's bony fingers plunge into the soft skin of her stomach. Dark Magician instantly ripped her away and shot a Dark Magic Attack at Summoned Skull, destroying him.

Gyakutenno walked over to Performance of the Sword and knelt by her side. She chanted something under her breath and held a glowing hand over the injured Duel Monster's wounds. The wounds slowly closed and Dark Magician helped her up before turning to face Yami.

Yami nodded and glanced at the stunned Carrie. "Let's go now." he said.

Carrie shook her head. "Where?"

Gyakutenno Megami rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl. She jumped into the air and started flying in the direction of the museum. Dark Magician grabbed Yami and followed after the female Duel Monster. Performance of the Sword rolled her eyes.

_No one ever wants to do things the easy way, _she thought, jumping into the air and flying after them.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa slid down the wall and gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain. She knew that two of her Monsters were now in the Graveyard and that she had no hope of getting them back with all those other Monsters connected to her. She winced and crossed her arms. Blood trickled from one of her hands onto her pants leg, but she ignored it.

_Why must people ruin my plans? _Alyssa thought, staring at the ceiling. _I would have treated them well, but no! _She growled. _Well, so much for Ms. Nice Guy. Everyone say hello to Ms. Bitchy!_

She got to her feet and started walking towards the door. She needed to get her Monsters to figure out how Yugi and Carrie had destroyed her other Monsters. A maid tried to stop her, saying that her uncle would like to see her. She glared at the maid and snapped her fingers. Soul Tiger was at her side in an instant.

"Move aside, pathetic mortal!" Alyssa ordered, eyes pulsating with an eerie red glow.

The maid hastened to obey and pressed herself against the wall as Alyssa and Soul Tiger continued down the hall and out the front door. She opened her mouth and a falcon like cry erupted from her throat. A harsher one replied as Harpie's Brother dove from the sky with Harpie Girl in pursuit. Both touched down lightly and looked down at her.

"I want you two to check on Yugi and Carrie," she said. "It seems that the Monsters watching them have been destroyed and I want to know how."

Harpie's Brother nodded and took off again. Harpie Girl raised her hand. Alyssa cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Can I go back to watch over the Wheeler boy and Gardner until Harpie's Brother comes back because this job seems more like his kind of thing?" Harpie Girl asked.

Alyssa sighed. "Very well."

Harpie Girl bowed her head and took flight again. Alyssa jumped onto the back of Soul Tiger.

"Let's go see if Marik wants to play." she said.

Soul Tiger took off at an alarming speed, but that just caused Alyssa to chuckle as she gripped his sides with her knees and crossed her arms.

XXXXXXXXX

Dark Magician set Yami down as soon as they all touched down. Carrie practically ran out of Gyakutenno Megami's arms and hid behind Yami. She had way too many experiences with Duel Monsters for one day. Yami rolled his eyes and walked towards the museum. It said that it was closed but when he tested the door, it was open.

He glanced over his shoulder before walking in and Carrie hurried after him. She leaned close to him and whispered something.

"What?" he asked.

"I said that I don't think that they can fit in here because they're so tall." Carrie repeated quietly.

Yami glanced over his shoulder and saw that the three Duel Monsters had in fact made it through the small doorway. They had simply made themselves smaller which was a neat trick. Carrie sighed.

"But I've been wrong before." she muttered.

Yami rolled his eyes and walked towards the basement. It was dimly lit down there and he could feel Carrie holding onto the back of his jacket so that she wouldn't fall or anything. He remembered that the girl had very poor balance and shook his head slightly.

Ishizu was standing next to a table covered with preserved Egyptian papyrus scrolls. She glanced over at him as he stepped closer. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Carrie, Dark Magician, and Gyakutenno Megami and she crossed her arms.

"They're friends and Carrie is Alyssa's cousin," Yami said. "She deserves to know everything that you say."

Ishizu nodded and unrolled one of the scrolls of papyrus. "These came from the newly discovered tomb in Egypt. It was a tomb of a great priestess and I think you'll recognize who it is from the picture." Ishizu said, pointing at the picture of a priestess on the table.

Yami and Carrie leaned forward. The priestess had long brown hair and bright green eyes. An Egyptian eye was tattooed on her right shoulder.

"That's definitely Alyssa." Carrie muttered, looking away from it.

"No, that's her incarnation." Yami said, getting flashes of her from the bowels of his mind. "She came from around my time."

Performance of the Sword looked over Ishizu's shoulder and read the Egyptian hieroglyphics. "The priestess vanished shortly after Priest Seto was placed on the throne and the Pharaoh had gone from the lands. She returned a few years later, holding the hands of one girl and one boy…This is useless knowledge. Do you have something that speaks of her when she was still around?" Performance of the Sword asked.

Ishizu put that scroll aside and pulled another one towards her. She opened it and this time she read it.

"The priestess, whose name is unknown to all those except the Gods, has immense power but she also has immense evil." she read. "With the help of her greatest friend, her little brother, and the man she loved, she had the evil sealed away in a tattoo of Ra's eye on her right shoulder. Only great anger can release the power of the evil within the priestess, but she was known to be a calm person. And her Ka showed that several times in times of war where she helped defend her brother's country."

"So, this priestess had her evil sealed away in a tattoo, that's odd." Carrie muttered. "And she did that with the help of her greatest friend, her little bro, and her lover, that sounds like a nice way to spend a day."

"Does Alyssa have a tattoo on her shoulder?" Gyakutenno Megami asked, speaking for the first time to anyone.

"Yeah, it's the eye of Ra or something like that…oh!" Carrie said, finally realizing what her Duel Monster was implying.

"So, it seems that your friend is the reincarnation of the priestess." Ishizu stated, rolling the scroll back up. "And she has released her evil side in her anger."

"I don't remember Alyssa being angry about anything…" Yami muttered, crossing his arms. "She didn't even seem pissed that Joey had cheated on her."

"Damn it!" Carrie exclaimed, kicking a wall. "I know who made her mad!"

"Who?" Performance of the Sword asked.

"Kaiba."

Yami sighed. "Let's go see what Kaiba did." He started to walk away.

"Pharaoh, if you are to return your friend back to the way she was, you will need to have her friend, her brother, and her love help you." Ishizu said. "And if the priestess is here, so they may be as well."

Yami nodded and walked out of the basement with the others following slowly. Dark Magician saw something on the floor that hadn't been there before and picked it up. He turned suddenly and handed it to Performance of the Sword before running towards the door.

Performance of the Sword looked down at her hand and saw a blood red feather. She clenched her hand into a fist. "She had a spy on us." she whispered.

Dark Magician came back and shook his head. Performance of the Sword whipped out her sword.

"Now, we're doing this my way!" she hissed, making another purple portal and jumping into it.

Dark Magician followed Yami into it and Gyakutenno Megami had to drag Carrie into it before it vanished. A security guard saw this happen and fainted.

XXXXXXXXX

_A/N: And we'll leave it at that for now. I'm sorry this was so late, but I'm working on it. I have so many sites to be on and I've been neglecting so many people on this and other sites. Please give a break and review! Thanks!_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: I'm here to warn you that there is a few depressing scenes coming up in this chapter, so be prepared to be depressed. Other than that, enjoy!_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Fourteen**

Kaiba heard several bodies hit the floor of his office and looked up. Three Duel Monsters were standing in front of his desk, staring at him while Yami and Carrie picked themselves off of the floor.

"What do you two losers want?" he asked, throwing his shot of brandy down his throat.

"First of all, I am not a loser! And neither is Yugi!" Carrie snapped, crossing her arms. "And second, what the hell did you do to make my cousin mad on Sunday?"

Kaiba smirked. "I did nothing."

He reached for his brandy bottle, but found that it wasn't there. Performance of the Sword shook it in his face before making it vanish. He crossed his arms and pouted.

"Kaiba, we don't have time to play games." Yami said, glaring at him. "What did you do to piss Alyssa off?"

"I went out for a couple of nights of gambling and well, partying and she chewed me out the instant I walked in my mansion as if I had done something to her." Kaiba said, getting to his feet and looking out the window. "Then she left and I went to bed. Happy?"

"No. Because you're a stupid dick!" Carrie hissed, looking away from him as if he was the most disgusting thing on the planet. "You drove her mad because she thought you were in the bed of someone else…and you probably were and she's liked you since high school!"

Kaiba shrugged his shoulders. "She sure doesn't act like it."

"Because she's seen you with other women and saw what you did to them." Performance of the Sword said, watching him. "She was slowly losing her grip on her anger until you brought it over the top on Sunday and this new Alyssa is the result of that foolish mistake."

Kaiba looked down at the ground so many stories below. "Get out of here."

"Kaiba, where is my cousin?" Carrie asked.

"She didn't come to work today."

"Hm…I wonder why…" Carrie commented, smirking. "Seeing as how she was so cozy last night in the arms of Marik…"

Yami shot her a warning look, which she ignored.

"I said get out!" Kaiba snarled, glancing over his shoulders at her. The shot glass that was in his hand exploded as his grip on it tightened.

"Let's go, little one." Gyakutenno Megami said, putting her hand over Carrie's mouth before she could say anything. "We must warn the others and help them destroy the spies Alyssa put on them."

Performance of the Sword made another portal and walked into it. The others followed her and it closed before Kaiba turned around. He looked at the spot where the group had been and sighed. He felt little bits of glass sting in his palm and looked down at the blood that was flowing freely from the wounds on the palm. He sat down at his desk and just stared at his hand, wondering if what they had said was true.

Gemini Elf looked at each other and ran off. They had to warn Alyssa about what was going down.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked into the hotel where Marik was staying and saw the said man exit an elevator with Odion. His face was clouded until he spotted her. He smiled and walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, I thought that since you are here for a little bit, that maybe we could hang out and have fun somewhere." Alyssa said.

"He can not." Ishizu said from behind Alyssa.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed, but she refused to turn around to face the Egyptian woman. "And why can't he?"

"Because I know what you're planning and I will not let it happen." Ishizu stated in a calm voice. "Now leave us."

Alyssa smirked. "In the end, you will have done all of this for nothing." Alyssa said. "I will have gotten what I wanted and you will have no way to stop me." She looked at Marik. "I will see you later. Like when your sister stops being such a stiff bitch."

She turned and walked past Ishizu, purposefully banging her shoulder into the Egyptian's in the process. She walked back out into the sunlight and put her sunglasses on. A large shadow passed over her twice and she walked towards a dark alley.

Harpie's Brother was waiting for her in the shadows. Alyssa crossed her arms and looked up at the cold Duel Monster.

"Well, what news do you bring?" she asked.

"They have found your ancient tomb and the scrolls that lie within." Harpie's Brother said. "That Egyptian woman had Yugi and his friends go to the museum and told them the story about your ancient evil."

Alyssa smirked. "And what of my Duel Monsters?"

"Somehow Yugi and Carrie have released two of their Monsters. Dark Magician and Gyakutenno Megami. Summoned Skull and Rapid-Fire Magician never had a chance."

Harpie's Brother muttered, crossing his arms. "Especially with Performance of the Sword helping them."

Alyssa leaned against a grimy brick wall. "Well, they will soon try to help the others by destroying the Monsters I set after them…we must not let them do that." Alyssa stated. "I want you to get the others to strike first or it will be too late for them. Understand?"

Harpie's Brother nodded and took off again. Gemini Elf instantly replaced him. Alyssa sighed.

"And what do you two want?"

"Yugi and his friends have visited Kaiba." the redhead said. "We think they are trying to make him remember who he really is and want him to ally against us."

"Well, Kaiba's a smart boy." Alyssa mumbled. "He won't believe anything unless there is evidence to back it up. So, I won't give him the evidence and you two won't let him get the evidence."

Gemini Elf exchanged looks with each other. Then they looked back at Alyssa. "We won't." they chimed before running off again.

Soul Tiger walked over to where Alyssa was standing and rubbed his head against her leg. She absently started scratching him between the ears.

"We need to keep Kaiba busy, so the others can't use him to meddle with my plans." she whispered. "And I believe I know how to do that."

XXXXXXXXX

An emergency meeting had been ordered at the docks and the gang all brought their dueling decks. The group backed up when Dark Magician and Gyakutenno Megami (who was two full feet taller than Dark Magician and a couple of inches taller than Performance of the Sword) came out of the shadows.

"Yug, what is going on?" Joey asked, staring up at the two new Monsters.

"We figured out how to unlock our own Monsters to help defeat Alyssa's." Yami said, still having control of Yugi's body. "And we also know what's wrong with her."

"Alyssa's pissed and that let some ancient evil locked away in her incarnation's body to be released." Carrie explained. "So, we basically have to put it back where it came from or we're all as good as dead with the world."

"And how do we release our Monsters?" Mai asked, looking down at her Harpie Lady card.

"You don't." came a cold voice.

Everyone looked up to see that they were surrounded by Monsters. D.D. Warrior Lady smirked at Mai.

"Drop your decks and back up slowly." D.D. Warrior Lady ordered, holding her sword at the ready. "And maybe none of you will get hurt." She glanced at Performance of the Sword. "Well, most of you won't get hurt."

Yami saw Harpie Girl's eyes dart at Joey and dim down a bit. She seemed to be the only Duel Monster that was shaking. And it wasn't like she was the least powerful one either. He wondered why that was as Dark Magician and Gyakutenno Megami got into defensive positions.

"We'll never surrender!" Carrie shouted, voice echoing around the dock. "So, you guys better drop that crap!"

Harpie's Brother looked at the others and nodded. The Duel Monsters ran towards their targets while he headed for Performance of the Sword.

Mai stared at the female Duel Monster running towards her. She smirked and held out her Harpie Lady card. There was a flash of light and Harpie Lady was suddenly fighting D.D. Warrior Lady. She fingered a magic card just in case her Monster needed some help.

Joey watched as Harpie Girl hesitantly flew towards of him, pulling out a rose whip. Tea was behind him, scared to death, so she wouldn't be much help. He saw tears form at the corners of Harpie Girl's eyes, but summoned his Red Eyes Black Dragon to protect himself and Tea. That helped make the tears vanish as Harpie Girl had to dodge the Dragon's attacks.

Tristan and Duke were back to back, watching Succubus Knight and Warrior Dai Grepher approach them at a fast pace. Dueling with cards weren't really their thing, but they did have some good decks. Tristan whipped out a card and held it out in front of him and Duke copied him. Tristan summoned Dark Blade to stop Warrior Dai Grepher while Duke summoned Metal Dragon to fight Succubus Knight.

Yami sent Dark Magician to protect Performance of the Sword as Harpie's Brother got a little too close. He turned to see Harpie Lady plunge her claws into the back of D.D. Warrior Lady before shooting straight up into the air, holding onto the Duel Monster before dropping her onto a large spike. He looked away as the Duel Monster was impaled before exploding.

Harpie Girl kept flying circles around Red Eyes Black Dragon while ripping at his hard scales with her rose whip. Finally, the Dragon managed to get one foot on her and knocked her to the ground. He let out a black orb and it connected with her foot because she had rolled out of the way in time to stop the fatal blow.

Duke and Tristan were breathing heavily as their Monsters got hit by several attacks before Dark Blade shoved his sword into the heart of Warrior Dai Grepher. The Monster's death cry echoed around the docks even after the Monster vanished. Succubus Knight was bit in half by Metal Dragon and burst into hundreds of little pieces with a little cry.

Harpie's Brother landed on one knee and glared at the three opposing Duel Monsters. He had only hit them a few times, but he had been hit the most. He was starting to feel the loss of blood through his body. His eyes kept darting around the group and in the direction of the struggling Harpie Girl, who was now being attacked by both Red Eyes Black Dragon and Harpie Lady.

"Give up." Performance of the Sword ordered, lowering her sword. "And we'll let you live."

"I'll never give up to the likes of you!" Harpie's Brother snarled, getting ready for another attack.

"Foolish bird man." Gyakutenno Megami whispered, her black eyes glowing slightly.

Harpie's Brother ran at her and his talons ripped into her abdomen. Carrie stumbled into Yami as she felt the blow herself. Dark Magician leapt into action and did a Dark Magic attack which Harpie's Brother dodged. He flew into the air and let the blood of Gyakutenno Megami drip off his talons.

His eyes darted towards Harpie Girl as Harpie Lady attacked her bad leg. He darted towards his remaining comrade and swept her into his arms. He flew back into the sky and looked back at his enemies.

"I'll deal with you all later." he called before flying off.

Carrie panted as she looked at her Duel Monster. She felt Yami still supporting her and glanced at him. "Uh…what was he going on about?" she asked, feeling blood trickle down her chin.

"I don't know, but I'd hate to see how Alyssa is doing now that most of her Monsters are dead." Duke muttered, looking at his Metal Dragon. "I mean, our Monsters were barely hurt and we're feeling the pain. She's probably worse off."

Tristan stood up straight and walked over to his motorcycle. The others watched him as the Monsters started talking to each other and healing their wounds.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tea asked as Tristan started his motorcycle.

"To check on my best friend." Tristan muttered before speeding off.

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa sat in the hall, coughing up blood. Her eyes were starting to glaze over as she saw her uncle walking towards her. She blinked and shook her head slightly as he knelt next to her.

"SOMEONE CALL 911!!!" Pegasus shouted, looking at the blood that was staining Alyssa's chin and her clothes.

Alyssa shook her head again and tried to push herself away from the wall. Pain shot up her arms and she fell back against the wall. Little spots of light exploded in front of her eyes. Her eyelids were getting heavier and she started seeing black around her uncle.

"Hold on, Angel." he whispered, not touching her. "Hold on."

Alyssa thought she saw the shadow of a large man with wings before she closed her eyes and let never ending darkness engulf her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba had managed to remove all the little pieces of glass from his palm and had bandaged his hand up. He turned the news on when Kathy called him almost crying. He just sat there staring at the screen.

There was live video of Alyssa being moved into the back of an ambulance. She wasn't moving or anything. Then the camera returned to a preppy looking news reporter.

'_So far there are no new findings on the attack of Ms. Alyssa Pegasus,' _the reporter said. _'Police aren't sure if this attack was caused by the same person who murdered her other uncle just a day ago. But they will tell us when they do. Behind me, Alyssa is being put in an ambulance to be transported to the Intensive Care Unit of Domino City Hospital and we'll be checking in on her status later. Back to you, Dave.'_

Kaiba ignored the rest of the news as he continued seeing Alyssa being put into the back of the ambulance. He saw her coughing up blood, laying on the ground for dead, and felt his anger begin to boil. He got up and walked towards his office doors. Now his wounds didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was the girl on a gurney in the back of an ambulance who had been his best friend since he had been in the orphanage.

Kathy met him in the lobby and he saw tears trailing down her face.

"Make sure she's okay…" she whispered, looking up at him with watery eyes.

Kaiba nodded and walked out of the KC building. He looked up when he felt a drop of water hit him. The sky was murky gray and more rain drops started coming down. Then it started raining buckets. He sighed and walked over to his repaired car. He felt numb against everything.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: YAY!!! Depressing ending to a depressing chapter…sorry guys, I had to do it. I think it'll get better after this, but then there will be more depression. Review me, as always!_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Here's another update for the people who decided to review me or just followed along. Been very, very busy, so don't rush me for updates._

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Fifteen**

Kaiba walked into the Domino City Hospital and the smell of sick people and cleaning chemicals assaulted his nose. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and started following the signs towards the Intensive Care Unit. He saw Pegasus and some girl that he didn't know standing outside of one room. Pegasus looked like he was going to pass out or something as he stared through the window wall at someone.

Kaiba walked over to them and looked in the room. Alyssa was lying there, hooked to countless machines. Her chest barely rose as the machines helped her breathed. He had never seen her looking so helpless.

"I can't stand to see her like that, Kaiba." Pegasus whispered, staring at his eldest niece. "I wish I was the one there…but I'm not and…I can't stand this."

"What's wrong with her?" Kaiba asked, glancing at the older man.

"The doctors said that she was suffering from major internal bleeding in several places." the girl next to Pegasus informed him. "I'm Jessica, her other cousin, by the way."

Kaiba nodded and looked back at Alyssa. "So, they're not sure if she was attacked by the person who killed your father, right?" he asked.

Jessica rolled her pink eyes. "I keep telling people that it wasn't a person that killed my father." she said. "It was a large tiger thing!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Alyssa had brought a large tiger with her to her party and seemed really close to it. He couldn't see her setting her new pet on her own uncle though, so he pushed the thought from his mind. That made room for another thought.

"Are people allowed in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want him to go in there just yet." Jessica said, gesturing at Pegasus. "So, you go in there and I'll take him to the café to get him something…"

Kaiba ignored her after she said that people were allowed in the room with Alyssa and walked through the doors. He walked over to where she lay and sat in the seat next to the bed. He put a hand over hers and waited to see if she reacted to it.

Nothing. The machines beeped but there was no change in her heart beat or breathing. It was like she was there physically, but wasn't really there in the head.

"Alyssa," Kaiba whispered, not really caring if she couldn't hear him. "You have to pull through this or this will be on your annual work report card."

He sat back in the uncomfortable hospital chair and watched her for a few minutes. Then he started talking about random stuff and how he had been feeling lately.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa turned around and saw nothing but darkness. _This is not cool, _she thought, walking in a random direction. _I was never a big fan of dark places that had no directions or any turns._

Something moved behind her and she stopped. When she glanced over her shoulder she saw something dart into the shadows and noticed how it looked like an animal. She shrugged and turned around and came face to face with a darker version of herself.

_Not you again, _she thought, crossing her arms and wincing as she felt pain erupt from them.

"Who else did you expect?" the darker version of her asked, cocking her head to one side. "The Boogey Man? Or perhaps, Kaiba?"

"Leave Kaiba out of this!" Alyssa snapped. "He has nothing to do with this problem!"

"He is more involved in this than you know." the dark person said, walking towards Alyssa. "But I wouldn't expect someone as naïve as you to know that."

"I know who you are and I know how to stop you." Alyssa whispered, green eyes flashing. "And believe me, when I get the chance, I will."

"You have had plenty of chances, little girl, and you haven't done anything. All you did was release that traitorous Performance of the Sword, who is injured, and will not stand in my way for long."

Alyssa smirked. "You're not the only one with control over the Monsters. I can release any of them at will and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

The darker version chuckled and suddenly Alyssa was chained in the air by the magic card Chain Energy. Alyssa struggled against her new bindings but found that they were too strong and that she hurt too much to move.

The darker Alyssa smiled. "And just for added security…" She pulled out a trap card and a hole appeared under Alyssa, who fell on her ass. "Have fun in Trap Hole, girl."

She walked away laughing and vanished into the shadows. Alyssa looked around the hole and felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She shook her head and summoned most of her remaining strength.

_Hand of Nephthys, I summon you to help my cousin and her friends, _she thought before closing her eyes and sagging back against the rock wall.

XXXXXXXXX

Kaiba looked up when he saw a glow coming from Alyssa's dueling deck. Something shot out of it and vanished before the glow died and he thought it had been a trick of the light. Someone coughed at the door way and he turned to see Tristan, standing there. His eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a cold voice.

"I'm checking up on my friend." Tristan stated, walking into the room. "And I know who did this to her."

"Who?" Kaiba questioned.

Tristan put his hands in his black jacket pockets. "She did it to herself."

"Impossible. She couldn't and wouldn't do something like this to herself."

Tristan sighed. "She summoned real Duel Monsters to follow all of her friends and you and the ones that were following us attacked. We had to defend ourselves by summoning our own Monsters and we destroyed her Monsters. That's probably why she's here." He looked at Kaiba. "Two of her Monsters got away which is probably why she's not dead."

Kaiba was aware that his hands were clenched into fists and tried to calm down. It didn't help. He got up and started to walk away. He had something he needed to do.

"If she wakes up while you're here, call me before you tell anyone else." he ordered Tristan.

"Okay…I guess." Tristan muttered, taking Kaiba's abandoned seat.

Kaiba walked away and Tristan looked back at Alyssa. She still wasn't showing any improvement or changes in her readings.

"Alyssa, you have to pull through this." Tristan whispered, putting a hand over hers. "And hopefully you'll forgive us for doing this to you, but it's for your own good until we can find a way to put you back the way you were before all of this happened."

Alyssa's heart beat peaked for a second before returning to normal and Tristan just sat there, not knowing what to say, but just providing her some company. That was all he could think of doing that might help her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie walked next to Yami, who was leading the gang to his house where they could talk without the fear of being overheard anymore. Suddenly a lady with fire shining around her and a bird head helmet on her head appeared in front of them. Dark Magician made to release a Dark Magic attack on her, but Performance of the Sword got in the way. She shook her head at him and turned to face the new Monster.

"What is it, Hand of Nephthys?" she asked.

"Carrie, you must go to the hospital and take your cousin's dueling deck before she wakes up and summons more Monsters." Hand of Nephthys stated, looking down at Carrie.

"Why should I?" Carrie asked, crossing her arms. "If she releases more Monsters, we can easily destroy them."

"You destroyed a number of her Monsters and right now, she's in a coma like state." Hand of Nephthys informed her. "If you destroy any more of her Monsters, both Alyssa and her Yami will be dead and I know you don't want Alyssa to be gone."

Carrie looked at Yami and he nodded. She sighed and walked forward. "Very well." she whispered. "I'll go with you." She glanced at Gyakutenno Megami. "Stay here with the others. They might need your help if Bird Man comes back."

Gyakutenno Megami nodded and watched Carrie walk into the arms of Hand of Nephthys before they both vanished in a flash of fire. Mai crossed her arms.

"Yugi, this is getting kind of lame." she said. "I like playing Duel Monsters and all, but living in a world with real Monsters is not on my top 10 list."

Joey glanced at her. "We have no choice really. It's kind of like the Dartz incident. If we don't help defeat Alyssa, we help bring about the world's end. And that will so not be cool."

Yami nodded and continued walking. Yugi was walking next to him.

_**I don't know if we should defeat Alyssa using Monsters. I mean if she was put in a coma because we destroyed some of her Monsters, she'll still be weak from the coma and destroying even one of her Monsters could kill her. I just couldn't live with myself knowing that I killed one of my friends and my girlfriend's cousin.**_

_Yugi, we may not have a choice. But I'm sure that we won't have to worry about destroying anymore Monsters if Carrie can get Alyssa's dueling deck. We just have to believe in her. Well, you do because she is your girlfriend._

_**And she's your friend, too!**_

_Yes, but sometimes I wish that I never knew her._

_**Is this one of those times?**_

_No._

_**Good, because she may be the only one who can help us right now.**_

_I know Yugi, and I also know that she'll constantly remind us about this in the near future. So, let's not let this get to her head._

_**Good luck with that.**_

_Did I just detect sarcasm in that statement?_

_**Maybe.**_

_You dreamed about Alyssa._

_**STOP REMINDING ME ABOUT THAT!!!!!!!!!**_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba returned shortly to the hospital after making sure that Gemini Elf was securely locked where only he could let them out. Carrie took something from Alyssa's bag and walked past him silently with Tristan. He watched them walk down the hall towards the elevators before walking into the room and closing the door behind him. He moved over to the chair and scooted it closer to Alyssa's bed.

"Alyssa…" he whispered, placing a hand on hers and he looked up when her heart rate spiked for a second. "You don't have to worry anymore about your friends or the Duel Monsters; I've take care of the last of them."

Alyssa breathing slowed but her chest rose as she inhaled and he watched it. He still wasn't sure that she could hear him or even if she knew he was there. But the signs seemed to show him that she was starting to realize that he was. And he was actually happy that she was.

"People at work keep asking me about you, but they can't come because they're too busy or the doctors won't let them." Kaiba said. "They think that too many people visiting you will increase your stress, but how you can increase the stress in someone in a coma or someone like you is beyond me."

Alyssa's eyes fluttered open for a second before she closed them against the crude light of the hospital room. "Seto?" she whispered.

Kaiba leaned forward and held her hand in his. "Yeah, Alyssa. I'm here." he said.

Alyssa opened her eyes half way and looked at him. "Why are you here?" she asked. "And why am I here?"

"You were attacked by something." Kaiba informed her. "And that loser friend of yours Tristan thinks that it was because he and your other loser friends destroyed several of your Monsters."

Alyssa gave him a small smirk. "They did, you know." She looked away. "Gods, everything hurts."

"Well, we'll get the doctor in here and he'll give you some pain medication."

Alyssa tightened her grip on Kaiba's hand. "Seto, I don't want you to leave me and I don't want pain medication." she stated. "I-I want to get dressed and go somewhere with you."

"Do you think your uncle will mind?" Kaiba asked, taken aback by her desire to be with him.

"I'm not sure. But if I'm with you, I'm almost positive that he won't mind." Alyssa said. "But they probably took my clothes somewhere for tests or something…Could you go to my house and get me some new ones?"

Kaiba nodded and stood up. Alyssa let out a small sigh and released his hand. He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll be back soon." he promised quietly.

"I won't be going anywhere." Alyssa said, wincing as pain wracked her body again. "So, take as much time as you need."

Kaiba walked out of the room and towards the elevator knowing that he wasn't going to take long at all. He just wondered why Alyssa wanted to be with him after she had been attacked by some unknown force and after she said that she didn't like him anymore. But it really didn't matter to him because she was alright and that's all that mattered to him right now. And he planned to make sure that she remained alright.

XXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter is done. Love it? Hate it? Looking forward for more to come? I'll see about granting that wish sometime in the next couple of weeks, so bear with me. Reviews wanted. _


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N:Hello March lovers! Here's my next update after so long. Been very very busy and I have to worry about the ACT test on Tuesday, so don't worry if the next update comes a little late. _

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Sixteen**

Carrie finished laying out all the cards that had been in Alyssa's deck on the counter of Yugi's Grandpa's shop. She glanced over the cards and started removing the ones that they had already destroyed, stacking them in a small pile. The gang watched her and saw that most of the other cards Alyssa had were powerful, especially the magic cards. Carrie sighed.

"This isn't the deck that she has Exodia in, though." she muttered, setting the destroyed Monster cards aside. "But it's not like she would use it, anyway."

"So, we've got her cards, now what do we do?" Joey asked, trying very hard not to steal as many of Alyssa's rare cards as possible.

"Um…could we release some of her Light Monsters and see if they can help her?" Tea asked, trying to come up with an idea that would work and would impress the Pharaoh.

"All the Monsters in this deck have been turned evil." Hand of Nephthys said, crossing her arms. "Well, except for Vampire Lady, Dark Fire Soldier, Familiar Possessed-Hiita, and Neo Aqua Madoor."

"Well, let's release those Monsters." Duke said, leaning against a wall behind the counter.

Performance of the Sword shook her head. "Vampire Lady has sun and blood issues. Dark Fire Soldier goes on explosion rampages every now and then where he has to blow up anything in his way. Familiar Possessed-Hiita is all right. And Neo Aqua Madoor is a little difficult to work with."

"Not to mention the fact that Alyssa will be connected to these Monsters as well as the remaining ones." Gyakutenno Megami muttered. The others looked at her. "My card was owned by Alyssa until she gave me to Carrie, who was fawning over my card all the time. I guess I'm lucky that she did."

Carrie smiled and hugged her. "We have to get Alyssa back."

"Yeah, I want to ask her out without the fear of her biting my head off." Duke said, smiling slightly.

Tristan rounded on him. "Don't even think about asking her out when this is all over." he hissed, grabbing Duke by the front of his shirt. "When this is over, she will need some time to cool down, readjust, and realize that she can't replace the man she really loves!"

"Who? You?" Duke asked.

"No. I'm like her brother and I will do what I can to protect her from creeps like you." Tristan said.

"And what about creeps like Kaiba?" Mai asked, sitting on the other counter. "I mean, he is a whore and she hangs out with him all time."

Carrie slapped herself on the forehead. "We left her alone with him." she muttered. "And she's unconscious and who knows what Kaiba will do when she can't do anything to stop him."

"Kaiba won't do anything." Yami stated, looking down at the cards that Hand of Nephthys said weren't all that bad.

"How can you be so sure?" Tea asked, looking at him.

"Because I've seen Kaiba's mind and heart." Yami said, glancing at her. "He would rather die than hurt Alyssa…again."

"Wow, that's deep." Joey muttered. "Did you get that off a bumper sticker or something?"

Mai brought her fist down on his head. "You're an idiot." she said.

Joey fell to the ground and his eyes were swirls as a large bump grew on the top of his head.

XXXXXXXXXX

The doctor was exiting the room when Kaiba came back, holding a small bag full of the clothes Alyssa had asked for. She was sitting up now and looked at him. A smile crept onto her face and he felt one slide onto his.

"The Doctor says that my recovery is miraculous, but that I should take it easy for awhile." Alyssa informed him, swinging her legs off the bed. "And I can go where ever now."

"That's good." Kaiba muttered, walking over to her side.

"But first thing's first." Alyssa said, getting to her feet and almost falling. "I have to get dressed and not hurt myself in the process." She tried to take a step and tripped on a wire.

Kaiba caught her easily and looked down at her. She smiled up at him and took the bag of clothes from him.

"I'll be right back." she stated before pulling herself out of his grip and walking towards the hospital bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Kaiba glanced in the direction of her bag and noticed that it was gone. He didn't get much time to think about it because the door to the bathroom opened and Alyssa walked out slowly. She was in pair of artistically ripped jeans and a red spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of white sneakers. Her hair had been smoothed back and she was starting to get her natural color back.

"So, shall we get out of this Hell?" she asked, walking over to him.

Kaiba nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, steering her out of the hospital room. When they got in the elevator, Alyssa leaned against him and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"I'm not going to fall asleep on you." she whispered.

"You better not or I'll have to tickle torture you." Kaiba warned, looking down at her.

"I'm shaking in my sneakers." Alyssa said, suppressing the urge to laugh at that pathetic threat.

Kaiba's hand shifted slightly and he started tickling her side. Alyssa started giggling as he continued tickling her. He started tickling her with both hands and she nearly fell from laughing so much. Kaiba supported her, though, and held her in his arms as she caught her breath.

"It hurts…to laugh." Alyssa said, looking up at him. "But I find that when I'm with you that I can't help but enjoy myself. I wonder why that is?"

"Because I'm just your average smexy CEO." Kaiba guessed.

"I guess I can agree that." Alyssa stated, looking thoughtful. "But you're Mr. Smexy CEO, not an average smexy CEO. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now can we go to a night club or something?" Alyssa asked. "I want to go partying or something."

"I think I can arrange something like that."

"Yes!"

Kaiba chuckled as she started dancing around the elevator. The doors opened and a nurse and a couple of doctors stared at her. She blushed and hurried back into Kaiba's arms like nothing had happened. She buried her face in his chest and giggled as the doctors and the nurse entered the elevator with them. Kaiba wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head. He could get used to this.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Murder…murder…murder...she murdered my father…MURDERER!!_

Carrie looked up to make sure that no one was around her as she just idly wrote on a piece of scrap paper. She sighed and saw that everyone else was too busy to care about what she was doing.

_She's trouble…nothing but trouble…murderer…special murderer…has issues… murderer… I should be the one that kills her if we have to kill her…murderer… freak of nature…dead person in my cousin's skin… Hell's bitch… murderer in Alyssa's clothing… she must pay…must die…murderer…_

"You know that's not something that you should be doing." Yugi said, standing next to her suddenly. "It'll just bring you down."

"Yugi, if you haven't noticed, I'm as down as down can get." Carrie muttered, crumbling the paper up and throwing it in the nearest trash bin. "And I can't get up again."

Yugi sighed. "She's your cousin and you can't hate her."

"I don't hate Alyssa." Carrie stated. "I hate the person Alyssa's become. And that _thing _is not Alyssa. She wouldn't do something like this nor would she act like this. And I know that I'm not the one who can help save her."

"Why not?" Yugi asked.

"It's obvious, Yugi." Carrie said. "Alyssa's past is like her present. Her greatest friend is Tristan and her brother must be the Pharaoh. But her lover could be a number of unknown men or Kaiba. I am no where on that list nor will I ever be. I'm just her cousin and friend by name."

Yugi looked down and Carrie started staring into space, muttering torture and stuff under her breath.

"I didn't know that you felt like that about your cousin." Yugi admitted. "You guys always seemed so close."

"We were close, but she hardly talked to me when I was in New York." Carrie said. "She was the one who did convince me to get away from Carl when I turned 14 and said that she would house me until I was out of school. I guess she kind of lied about that because she sent me to live with Mai." She crossed her arms. "Maybe if I hadn't come, she wouldn't have had to get that horrible job with Kaiba and she wouldn't have gotten mad at him and none of this would have happened. We'd all be living our normal lives like we're supposed to."

Yugi looked at her. "Alyssa would have gotten the job with Kaiba, anyway. She always wanted to work with Kaiba and that was the only job available."

"Still, if I hadn't moved, none of this would have happened."

Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "If you hadn't moved here, I wouldn't have met you."

Carrie gave him a little smile and hugged him. "Fine. I'll stop thinking about killing someone if you promise to stop talking all mushy and shit."

"Deal." Yugi said, hugging her back.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa ignored several men who were watching her from the end of the bar as she sipped her martini. Kaiba was sitting next to her, drinking whiskey and watching the game on the TV. She rolled her eyes and turned around in her seat, watching the dancing people on the dance floor. She tapped her fingers on the bar to the beat of the music.

"So, Seto, any plans for the rest of tonight?" she asked casually, glancing at him.

"Not really." Kaiba muttered, taking a swig of his whiskey.

"Good, because I might have to break them if that guy over there doesn't stop trying to buy me drugged drinks." Alyssa said, gesturing lazily over at a tough looking biker. "And trust me, fights with me end badly for all those involved, besides me."

"I'll remember that." Kaiba mumbled.

Alyssa shook her head when a man started to approach her. He sighed and walked back over to his friends. She sighed and crossed her legs, wondering if Kaiba noticed the attention she was drawing. Another good looking man walked over to her and asked her if she wanted to dance. She glanced at Kaiba and stood up.

"Seto, is it all right if I go dancing?" Alyssa asked.

Kaiba turned around in his seat and looked at the man. His eyes narrowed and he got to his feet. The man shrank back a little at the feeling of power that radiated from Kaiba. Alyssa looked at him with interest shining in her eyes.

"Only if it's with me." Kaiba said in a deadly voice.

The man sweat dropped and hurried away with his tail between his legs. Alyssa smiled and walked onto the dance floor with Kaiba in tow. Another song began to play and Alyssa started dancing to the music, moving her hips and just having fun. Kaiba got close to her, so their bodies were almost touching.

"So, did I detect jealousy back there?" Alyssa asked, looking up at him.

"No." Kaiba lied.

"I think I did." Alyssa said, smirking. "I think that you were getting jealous because that man asked me to dance and I was willing to dance with him."

"I don't get jealous."

"Then should we call it envious?" Alyssa asked.

"No. I wasn't jealous or envious."

"Good, because there's no reason to be." Alyssa said. "I won't replace you with anyone because I have found that you are very hard to replace." She turned so that her back was to him. "That doesn't mean that you can get in my pants anytime soon, though."

"Wasn't planning on it." Kaiba muttered, moving closer to her and pressing his body against hers.

Alyssa smirked and let him place his hand on her waist, holding her close to him. Their bodies moved together to the beat of the music and both were actually enjoying it. It was just a struggle for Alyssa not to turn around and kiss him again. She was disappointed when the song was over and they had to separate to see what the next song was. She turned to see that Kaiba was as breathless as her.

"Well, that was fun." she said, smiling as she pressed the back of her hand against her cheek and felt the warmth of her face. She knew then that her face was slightly pink and was glad that the lights on the dance floor were dim.

Kaiba nodded his agreement and sighed when the next song started playing. It was song that he hated more than anything. 'Hips Don't Lie'. Alyssa smirked at his reaction and started moving her hips in a fashion that would make Shakira jealous. Kaiba watched as she danced to the music and finally started to like the song.

XXXXXXXXX

Kaiba and Alyssa were walking arm-in-arm as they exited the club. Both were drunk on life and music and a few alcoholic beverages that they couldn't name at the moment without cracking up. Alyssa was wiggling her hips every now and then and Kaiba would laugh and try to pull her closer.

"You better stop, Mr. Smexy," she said, pushing him away playfully. "Or I'll have to hurt you."

"I'd like to see you try." Kaiba shot back.

"Nah…I don't want to ruin your smexiness." Alyssa stated, pulling her arm out of his grip. "Then you won't be Mr. Smexy anymore."

"Can't have that." Kaiba said.

"Hey punk!" someone shouted and both of them turned around to see the tough looking biker and the good looking man from before. Obviously, they were somehow related. "You're hogging all the good stuff!"

"So?" Kaiba asked. "She came with me and she's going with me."

"No she's not!" the good looking man exclaimed, walking forward. "She's going right back in there and is going to dance for us there and then at a motel."

"No I'm not!" Alyssa shouted. "I'm going home!"

The good looking man grabbed her roughly and started dragging her back towards the club. All of sudden, he let go of her and she fell to the ground. She looked up to see Kaiba standing in front of her, hands clenched into fists and the good looking guy was holding a hand to his face. A nasty looking bruise was forming there.

"Keep your hands off of her!" Kaiba snarled, venom dripping off every word.

"So, pretty boy's got a temper," the biker said, rolling his eyes. "Big deal. We'll beat it out of you and take the girl if we want to."

He ran forward and his large fist barely missed Kaiba's head. Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he grabbed the biker's wrist before throwing him to the ground. Alyssa smirked as she heard something snap in the biker's arm. The good looking guy pulled out a knife and brandished it at Kaiba. He managed to slice Kaiba across the arm before Kaiba did a roundhouse kick that knocked the knife right out of the guy's hand. Alyssa scurried over to get to it first.

She grabbed it and turned around when she heard the guy's heavy breathing. He pounced at her and she brought her foot up, sending him flying head first into the door of a car. She got to her feet and threw the knife with deadly accuracy into the guy's palm, pinning his hand to the car door. She ignored his cries of pain as she turned to see what was happening to Kaiba. She wished she hadn't.

Kaiba was on the ground, being kicked by the biker, who had steel toed boots. Something in Alyssa snapped and she raced forward.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" she screamed, ignoring the crowd that had gathered around.

She pushed the biker away from Kaiba and punched him in the gut. While he was on the ground, she kicked him hard and sent him flying into the side of a semi truck. She stood there, panting as he got to his feet and charged at her, pulling a chain out of his pants as he came. Alyssa stared at the chain and ducked as it came near her head. She then caught it around her hand as he turned, still swinging it and yanked hard. It came flying out of his hands and she threw it next to Kaiba.

"You shouldn't be this bad little bitch." the biker growled, circling her. "But now that you showed your true colors, me and my boy are going to skip the dancing and take you straight to the room."

"Over my dead body." Alyssa said, smirking at him.

The biker ran at her and she jumped easily over his bald head. She landed on one knee and turned around quickly to deliver a ton of fast punches into his back. When he turned, she punched him in the face, making his nose shatter and blood pepper his face and cover her hand. She kneed him in the groin and watched him fall to the ground.

"Leave me and Kaiba alone." Alyssa ordered, kicking him in the side, which made him whimper and curl up in the fetal position. "And leave all the girls that go to clubs and bars alone."

She walked over to where Kaiba was picking himself off the ground. She placed one of his arms around her shoulders and led him towards the awaiting limo. She helped him in first before getting in and closing the door.

Kaiba watched as she brought out the first aid kit and found a white cotton napkin and a bottle of water. She wet the napkin and brought it to his face, wiping the blood away from the cut above his eye. He winced when she did that and she shook her head.

"How do we get into these kinds of messes, Seto?"

"We're unlucky, I guess." Kaiba muttered.

"I thought you didn't believe in luck." Alyssa said, putting a small bandage on the cut before moving onto the blood that was on his right cheek.

"Well, I started believing in it when you woke up." Kaiba admitted, amazed at how gentle she was being while she was cleaning his wounds.

Alyssa nodded and located the little cut on his cheek. She smiled at him and glanced at the cut again. It was gone.

"I didn't know that you could fight like that." Kaiba said.

"A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do." Alyssa mumbled, wiping the blood off of her hands. "I wasn't about to lay down and let someone beat up one of my best friends. I'm not helpless and I didn't want someone to protect me because I made them think that I was helpless."

Kaiba grabbed one of her hands, causing her to look up at him. "I didn't think you were helpless." he whispered. "I wanted to keep you safe. That's all I wanted to do. If anything would have happened to you, I would have never forgiven myself."

Alyssa blinked in confusion and he kissed her passionately.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Ooh...happy ending in the future? I don't think so. And if you're wondering about Alyssa's behavior, let's just say that she's got issues that are better left buried inside my head where she was created. Trust me, it would give you nightmares to know what goes on in my head. You have been warned..._

_Please review my story. I have a lot of people who read this story and only a couple who actually take a moment to review me. I don't care if you simply say 'good work' or something short. I write so that I can know what people think about my work. Thanks!_


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: So, some people want this story's problem to be resolved quickly. I'm sorry to say that if one problem gets solved, then there are going to be more. This problem has a ways to go and I am not changing that because there is a lot more going on than that one problem with Alyssa. There are problems with the gang, Kaiba, and even Carrie that still need to be revealed and resolved while this Alyssa's-gone-evil problem keeps going on. There will be an end to it eventually, but not quite yet._

_Thanks for your reviews and I hope you continue to read and enjoy this story. _

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Seventeen**

Alyssa blinked as Kaiba pulled back to let her breath again. She looked at his arm and saw blood seeping through the tear in his jacket and shirt.

"Uh…you're bleeding…" she muttered, feeling awkward after the kiss.

Kaiba looked down at his arm and shrugged. "Oh well."

"I don't want it to get infected, so take your shirt off." Alyssa ordered, grabbing another cotton napkin and wetting it.

She turned back to Kaiba to see that he was smirking at her.

"Seto, take your shirt off or I will take it off of you." Alyssa said, trying to glare at him and not succeeding.

"Was that a promise?" Kaiba asked.

"No. It was a threat." Alyssa stated.

Kaiba smiled and slipped his jacket off of him. Alyssa watched him as he started to slowly unbutton his blue shirt. Her eyes strayed for a second on his well toned chest before she remembered the blood on his arm and tore her gaze away. Her cheeks were burning as she heard his shirt fall to the floor of the limo. Then she returned her attention to his wounded arm.

The cut wasn't deep, so she wiped away the blood and put some rubbing alcohol and antibiotics on it before searching the first aid kit for some linen bandages. She found them and started wrapping them around his arm.

"So, did you see something you liked?" Kaiba asked, smirking as she tugged on the linen bandages.

"I've seen better." Alyssa stated, pressing her fingers on the location of his wound and making him wince as she taped the linen bandages up.

"I'm sure." Kaiba said.

Alyssa sighed and started putting the first aid kit away. "Kaiba, you're not the first guy I saw topless." she said, glancing at him. "And you won't be the last."

Kaiba sighed and pulled her onto his lap. "You are starting to annoy me with your games of hard to get." he said, looking up at her.

"Well, can you blame me?" Alyssa asked, cocking her head to one side as she looked at him. "I mean, you are Seto Kaiba, and I don't want you to get everything when you want it. You need to learn to work or fight for things you want in life."

"I fought for you today, and you know how long I've worked to get you to like me." Kaiba said, arms encircling her. "So don't I deserve a break?"

Alyssa smiled and hooked her hands together behind him. "Maybe…"

Kaiba captured her lips again and held on to her. Both of them smiled into the kiss and forgot about their hate for one another. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip begging for entrance and Alyssa parted her lips for him. She entangled her hands in his hair as he lowered her onto the seat.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Carrie and the others were still hanging out at Grandpa's shop, trying to think of ways to get Alyssa back to normal. Tristan had wandered off to call Alyssa's doctor to check up on her.

"Guys, Alyssa's been discharged from the hospital in a miraculous recovery." Tristan announced, coming back a few minutes later.

"Miraculous recovery my ass." Performance of the Sword muttered, sitting on the floor with Hand of Nephthys. "She used magic to heal herself."

"And she's not picking up on her home phone." Tristan said.

"That's because she's not home." someone said.

The gang looked over at the door to see Jessica standing there. Carrie ran over to her little sister and gave her a huge hug.

"Carrie…can't…breathe…" Jessica gasped, trying to wiggle out of her sister's grasp.

"Oops! Sorry!" Carrie apologized, releasing her. "But what do you mean she's not home? I thought Uncle would make sure that she would go home and straight to bed after she was released from the hospital."

"Well, I don't think she got the memo." Jessica said. "She woke up when Kaiba came back from where ever and she left with him. I saw them get in the elevator, but Uncle was too busy drinking the horrible hospital coffee to notice."

"And when exactly did she leave with him?" Yugi asked.

"Around 6, but she was on the news with Kaiba because they got in a fight after exiting a club around 8." Jessica informed them.

Duke smirked and started chuckling. The others looked at him.

"What is so funny?" Tea asked.

"I know what they're probably doing now." Duke stated.

"Uh…what are they probably doing now?" Joey asked, being the blonde that he was.

Duke looked at Joey like he was the stupidest person in the world. "They're probably getting it on right now." Duke said.

Mai looked disgusted. "Leave it to you, a hormonal man, to come up with that disgusting conclusion." she muttered.

Carrie looked petrified. "I don't want to think of my cousin like that!" she exclaimed. "So don't make me!"

"I'm calling her cell phone to see where she is now." Tristan declared, getting ready to dial the number.

"And what if you interrupt them?" Duke asked, still thinking dirty thoughts. "I mean, I know it won't be easy for them to forgive you for ruining their moment of fiery passion."

Carrie started retching over the trash bin. Tristan bonked Duke on the head while everyone else just stared blankly at him.

"Alyssa would never do that!" Tristan declared.

"She wouldn't get into fights, either, unless she had a few drinks and a reason to put a knife through a man's hand." Jessica pointed out. "So they both could be drunk."

Carrie straightened and proved that she had only been fake retching. "Alyssa still wouldn't do something like that. She swore on all that was important to her that she would never let Kaiba get in her pants. And I trust her to follow her word."

"She is not acting much like Alyssa." Mai reminded them. "So, we don't know what she would do and what she wouldn't. Besides wear pink."

"I DON'T WANT TO THINK OF ALYSSA THAT WAY!!!!! NO ONE DOES EXCEPT PERVERT BOY OVER THERE!!!!!! SO LET'S DROP THE SUBJECT NOW AND THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!!!" Carrie shouted, making the Duel Monsters wince. "And Yugi, why the hell are you as red as a tomato?" she asked, rounding on him.

"Um…no reason…" Yugi lied.

_**No reason my spirit ass!**_

XXXXXXXXXX

Rosa, the Spanish maid, was highly confused when she took Kaiba's shirt and jacket out of the back of his limo. She was even more confused when she started following the trail of discarded clothes down the hall that lead to Kaiba's room. The door was cracked open a bit and she reached for it.

She walked forward a bit into the dark room and dropped the clothes in a heap. Now the cause for her finding women's clothes had been found.

"GET YOUR CLOTHES ON YOU SHAMELESS HUSSIES!!!" she shrieked, staring at the entangled bodies on the bed.

Alyssa moaned and sat up, holding the dark blue sheets to her chest. She glared at the maid. "Maybe I don't want to, lady," she said before sticking her tongue out at the maid.

Kaiba groaned and rolled onto his back. "You're fired Rosa." he stated in a Donald Trump like fashion.

"NO!!!" Rosa shouted, putting her face in her hands. "I'VE BEEN FIRED BY A PAIR OF SHAMELESS HUSSIES!!!!!!! MY FAMILY'S REPUTATION IS RUINED!!!!"

Kaiba reached over to his bedside table and pressed a button. "Kiba, come and take Rosa off of the premises now."

The two waited for a few minutes as Rosa muttered a whole string of Spanish curses under her breath. Finally, Kiba showed up and dragged Rosa away, closing the door behind him.

Alyssa sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging her knees to her chest. "She's an idiot." she muttered, shaking her head slightly.

"Yes, but now we won't have to deal with her." Kaiba murmured, sitting up and kissing her neck again.

Alyssa fought against the happy, warm feeling that came with the contact. She pushed him away gently and climbed out of the bed. "I'm leaving." she said, walking over to the pile of clothes, holding the sheet around herself.

"Why?" Kaiba asked, watching her from where he lay on the bed, stark naked and not having anything to cover his manhood.

"Because Seto…" Alyssa began, finding her panties and pulling them on. "This was a mistake…"

"That's not what you said before." Kaiba said, smirking as he watched her find her bra and put that on too.

"I was…drunk…" Alyssa muttered, finding her jeans and shirt and moving over to the side of the bed. She kept her eyes pointedly away from him. "And so were you…we weren't really thinking right…"

"Well, we still enjoyed ourselves and I know we'll enjoy ourselves again when we do it again." Kaiba stated.

"There won't be a next time." Alyssa mumbled, throwing the sheet over him before yanking her jeans back on. "This was the first and last time and I plan on forgetting ever single second of this."

Kaiba watched her pull her shirt on and march back to the pile. She threw his pants at him as she searched for her socks and sneakers. He pulled them on just as she found what she was looking for and marched out of the room. He followed her.

"You just can't forget something like this." Kaiba stated, catching up to her at the living room. "No one can."

"Tell that to all the girls you've slept with." Alyssa snapped, glaring at him. "And you know what, I'm one of them now, aren't I? Just another woman who warmed your bed at night. That's all you wanted."

Kaiba looked like he had been slapped. Alyssa walked towards the door and opened it. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Tell anyone about this and you will lose the right to be called a man." she hissed before closing the door and walking away.

Kaiba sighed and raked his fingers through his messy hair. He didn't care that his belt was unbuckled as he walked over to the door and opened it. He watched Alyssa pace for a moment before a large tiger came out of nowhere and let her onto its back.

_You just don't get it, Alyssa, _he thought, watching her ride away.

XXXXXXXX

Alyssa said nothing to anyone when she entered her uncle's mansion and she had headed straight for her room. She closed the door and walked straight into the adjoining bathroom. She stripped down and turned the shower on, hoping that the heat would make her feel better.

It didn't really, so when she stepped out of it fifteen minutes later and wrapped a big fluffy red towel around her, she looked in the mirror to see what had happened. She sighed in frustration at her reflection. There were several purple marks on her neck.

"Great…he marked me." she muttered, walking over to the door that she had just left cracked open.

She opened the door and saw the gang in her room. Luckily, she wasn't the kind of person who overreacts when they're in shock, so she didn't drop her towel. Yugi and the girls turned pink. Tristan quickly covered his eyes. Joey's jaw may have dropped if it hadn't been for the fact that Mai was pinching his ear. Duke was smirking at her.

"Uh…what are you guys doing here?" Alyssa asked, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

"Your uncle let us in." Duke stated. "And your pet is asleep."

Alyssa glanced over at her bed and saw that Soul Tiger was on his back, fast asleep. "Traitor." she muttered.

Soul Tiger opened his eyes. "Meow?"

Alyssa shook her head and looked back at the gang. She noticed how Duke was looking at her and frowned.

"What's wrong, Duke?" she asked.

"Nothing…"Duke lied. "So, what did you do last night?"

"I don't want to talk about last night." Alyssa said, walking over to her bed and sitting on the edge. "So don't make me."

"Why? Did Kaiba perform all wrong?" Duke questioned.

Alyssa paled. "Nothing happened between me and Kaiba." she whispered.

"We saw the news and it seems you and Kaiba got in a fight in the parking lot of a club." Tristan said. "And then you guys disappeared. You didn't return here until after 3 in the morning."

"Now you guys are _investigating_ me?" Alyssa questioned.

"Your uncle…kind of told us…" Yugi muttered, not looking at her, but finding interest in a red stain on her carpet.

"Tell me you didn't go somewhere else with Kaiba!" Carrie begged, jumping onto the bed, much to the dissatisfaction of Soul Tiger. "Tell me you made him take you straight home!"

Alyssa blinked as she looked at her cousin. She saw expectation in the girl's eyes. "Uh…why do you want me to tell you that?" she asked.

"Because Perv Boy over there thinks that you and Rich Boy did the nasty last night." Joey explained. "And Little Person over there wants to make sure that you didn't."

Alyssa looked away from them all and stared at the bathroom door. She thought about telling them to leave her the hell alone, but they'd probably pester her or come to the right conclusion about last night. She also considered telling them the truth, but knew that she didn't want to admit that it had happened because then she'd know that it had happened. She didn't know what to do.

"So, did you Alyssa?" Carrie asked. "Did you let Kaiba get into your pants?"

Alyssa looked at her cousin and said nothing. The look in her eyes said it all.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Guess what? This is going to be a double update! Yay! So go on and read the next chapter! _


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: And here is the second part of my double update! Enjoy!_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Eighteen**

Carrie fell off the bed in her haste to get away from Alyssa. Alyssa looked down at her hands and tried to block out the muttering that Tea and Mai had began doing.

"HA!!! I knew it!" Duke declared, pumping his fist in the air before turning to look at the others. "You all owe me fifty bucks!"

Tristan punched him in the face and Duke got a stupid look on his face before he fell to the ground. Joey's jaw would have dropped even lower if Mai hadn't increased the pressure on his ear.

"Alyssa…how could you?" Carrie asked, backing away from her cousin. "How could you…you promised…"

Alyssa shrugged and continued staring at her hands. Mai got smart, though.

"Everyone out." Mai ordered, pushing Joey out of the room. "She needs to get dressed. So get out!"

She pushed the rest of the gang, but had to throw Duke out of the room. She turned to look at the lounging tiger on Alyssa's bed and glared at him. He got up and leapt off the bed. He glanced back at Alyssa before disappearing from the room. Mai closed the door behind him and locked it.

"And if I find out that any of you have had your ears pressed against this door, I will make your life hell!" she called through the door.

Alyssa glanced at her. "What are you still doing in here?" she asked. "I thought you said everyone out."

"I did." Mai said, walking over to the closet and she began sorting through the clothes. "But I meant everyone except me." She tossed a shirt over onto the bed. "You need to get ready for work and need to look good."

"I don't want to look good because he'll be there." Alyssa muttered, getting up to get herself some undergarments.

"Honey, you don't need to look good for him." Mai said. "You need to look good for yourself and that's all that should matter to you." She tossed over a pair of nice jeans. "As far as I'm concerned, Kaiba can go fuck his whores and leave you alone. You're too good for him."

"But I let him…" Alyssa began, pulling on her undergarments and dropping the towel in the hamper.

"That was a mistake that is easily fixed." Mai announced. "You can revirginize yourself through a ritual or something. My friends did it once or twice…or three times, in that one girl's case."

Alyssa shimmied into the jeans and zipped it up. "I don't think those really work."

"You're probably right." Mai agreed. "So, just don't think about that little mistake that you made."

"But that's the problem." Alyssa said, buttoning her jeans. "I mean, I can't stop thinking about it and knowing what kind of position I put myself in. I feel like…God, I hate myself!!"

"Don't." Mai ordered, crossing her arms and looking at Alyssa as Alyssa slipped her black shirt on. "You did nothing wrong. Everyone makes mistakes and they move on. Don't let this one hold you back and don't let that Kaiba make you remember it. He can't control you, but you have to make sure that he knows that and that he can't have you anymore."

Alyssa looked down at her shirt and saw that it had big red letters on it that declared 'Can't Touch This'. She gave a half-hearted smirk. _How ironic, _she thought, looking back at Mai.

"Is this your idea of a pep talk?" she asked.

"I don't care what you call it." Mai said. "But trust me, you can't let this guy drag you down. You deserve better and just because he sleeps with you doesn't mean that he loves you. Lust is not love." She started walking towards the door. "So, finish getting ready and go show the world what you're made of."

Alyssa watched her open the door and close it behind her. She shook her head and walked towards the window. Her eyes watered as they were assaulted by the bright light of the sun.

_Today's a new day and I better get things my way or else, _Alyssa thought, looking at her dark reflection in the glass.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa made sure that she did not run into Kaiba more than she had to during her work hours. She took the stairs to avoid him if he was taking the elevator. She took the longer way if she saw him coming in the direction she was heading. She even hid behind Kathy's desk a couple of times to hide from him. It was seriously hindering her assistant job, so she decided to give it up when she had three hours left of work.

She hummed along with the elevator song, trying to ignore the blisters that had formed on her heels. She couldn't help but wonder why Kaiba decided to put the song in for a week. Her thoughts were interrupted when the doors slid open and Kaiba walked in. She quickly looked away from him and waited for the doors to close.

"Alyssa…" Kaiba muttered.

"Seto…" Alyssa replied.

They stood in the uncomfortable silence for a few levels. Alyssa tried to ignore the side long looks that he was giving her.

"Alyssa, you've been hiding from me all day." Kaiba said quietly.

"I wonder why." Alyssa mumbled, still not looking at him, but at the numbers on the display thing above the doors.

_36…37…38…_

"Alyssa, we had sex and nothing can change that…" Kaiba stated.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I have to think about it." Alyssa shot back.

_42…43…44…45…46…_

Kaiba reached across her and pressed the button that brought the elevator to a halt between levels 49 and 50. Alyssa looked at his hand and saw that his arm was shaking. She was amazed that she could actually see the muscles of his arm and then remembered that he wasn't wearing his jacket today.

"Why don't you want to think about it?" Kaiba asked.

"Because I don't want to think about how you made me one of your whores and how I betrayed my friends when I fucked you." Alyssa blurted out. "I told them time and time again that there was no way in Hell that I would let you get in my pants, but I did. I let you and I enjoyed doing so because I was acting stupid and feeling rebellious! But I don't want to remember it! And I can't stop thinking about it!" She hit her fist on the side of the elevator and cursed under her breath as she felt pain explode in her knuckles. "And God knows how I hate you for that!"

Kaiba looked at her. "Alyssa, I heard you talking last night in your sleep." he informed her. "You kept saying my name and said that you loved me."

"Yes, well I did…do…I don't know which anymore, but I know that the feeling isn't mutual." Alyssa muttered, looking him in the eye now. "I look into your eyes and all I see is lust. That's not the same as love, Seto. That doesn't even come close to love."

Kaiba looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "Do you honestly believe that?" he questioned.

"I believe what I see and what I know." Alyssa stated. "And I see a man who feels only lust and loves only his business." She looked away and pushed the button that made the elevator shudder back to life and the stupid elevator song started again. "Now, please don't push the subject. I don't want to do something that I will regret later."

Kaiba sighed and looked away, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. Alyssa saw the change and noticed that she could see the bandages on his arm.

"How're the battle wounds, by the way?" she asked.

Kaiba didn't answer her. The instant the elevator doors opened, he was out of there. Alyssa walked out more slowly and watched him walk into his office. _Well, at least I took control of that discussion, _Alyssa thought, heading over to her desk. _Let's hope that he'll stay out of my way for awhile…_

She sat down at her desk and glanced at the door to Kaiba's office again. She felt something in her heart again and put her face in her hands. She forced back her tears and took a few cleansing breaths.

_What is she doing to me? _she thought, thinking about the other Alyssa she locked away. _What is this feeling that her body is giving me towards that mortal? _She slammed her hands on her desk. _I hate this feeling!_

XXXXXXXX

Gyakutenno Megami stared across the room at Carrie, who was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The girl hadn't said a word since she had stormed into the room an hour ago. She didn't know what was wrong, but had a feeling that she knew the person who had made the girl so upset.

"You not talking is not a good sign." Gyakutenno Megami said. "I think the world's going to come to an end now."

"That makes sense." Carrie mumbled, still staring at the ceiling. "After all Hell has frozen over today…actually, make that last night."

Gyakutenno Megami sighed. "What happened last night?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Carrie muttered.

Gyakutenno Megami rolled her eyes. "I can't help you if you won't tell me what happened."

"I don't want your help and I don't want to talk about it." Carrie shot back.

Gyakutenno Megami's eyes glowed with a soft black light and she shook her head at the thoughts and images she got from Carrie's mind. "Okay…that was the weirdest thing that I have ever seen." she muttered. "But that is nothing to get mad over. She's the one who made the mistake and I'm sure she's regretting it now."

"Yeah, right. She probably enjoyed it." Carrie snapped, sitting up and glaring at the Duel Monster. "She's always liked him you know…"

"I do know." Gyakutenno Megami said. "But I also know that she changed and that she didn't want to be with him. But love runs deep and she might have given in to it. She is human, after all."

"But she's my cousin! She should know better than to make herself one of Kaiba's whores!" Carrie shouted.

Gyakutenno Megami looked at her calmly. "You're acting like she betrayed you, which in a way she did. She promised that she wouldn't sleep with Kaiba over and over again and then she goes and sleeps with him. But what she did is her decision and, though you may think that it was wrong now, you might find out later that she did it for a good reason."

"When anything deals with Kaiba, there is no good reason behind it." Carrie hissed. "Never."

"Let it go, little one." Gyakutenno Megami ordered. "You have more important things to think about."

"Yeah, like how I'm going to kill her when I see her again."

"Not that. I was thinking more on the lines of what you're going to do with your sister…"

"I don't know. Send her home to Megan, I guess."

"What if she wants to stay?"

"That will be Uncle's problem." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "I wonder how he'd react if I simply wrung Alyssa's neck in front of him…"

Gyakutenno Megami rolled her eyes and sagged back against the wall. It was going to be a long night.

XXXXXXX

Kaiba heard banging in the closet of his office and remembered that he had locked Gemini Elf in there. He sighed and walked over to it, seeing the results of Chain Energy on their arms and ankles when he opened the door. He had no clue how he had used the Magic card, but he had and the two elves weren't thrilled about it.

"Do you two mind?" he questioned. "I have work to do."

"Let us go!" the redhead ordered, glaring up at him. "We didn't do anything to you!"

"Except follow you." the blonde said, smiling slightly.

The redhead kicked her with her bound together feet. "Shut up!"

Kaiba sighed. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"Let us go." the redhead suggested.

"Why? So you can follow me again? I don't think so."

"We don't want to follow you anymore." the blonde stated. "You're not that much fun to follow anymore, so we're thinking about going somewhere else. Maybe to help the Yugi gang in getting rid of Alyssa's problem. I don't know…"

Kaiba leaned against the door jam. "There's nothing wrong with Alyssa except for the fact that she is as stubborn as Hell."

"And that's why you like her." the redhead said, smirking. "But if you truly liked her, you would let us go so we could help save her. And you should try to save her, too, when the time is right."

"If you're talking about that stupid idea that Yugi and his loser gang had come up with, I will have no part in it. There is no such thing as any thing they have said."

"And everyone thinks I'm a blonde." the blonde said.

"You are blonde, sis." the redhead replied. "So, Kaiba, what do you have to lose if we're gone? It's not like you believe that there is something wrong with Alyssa, so what harm could we do?"

Kaiba looked away from them at the door that lead to Alyssa's small office. He waved his hand and the chains that bound Gemini Elf disappeared. "Get out of my sight and stay out of it." he ordered.

The two elves looked at each other and were gone. Kaiba closed the closet door and walked over to his desk. A brandy bottle was sitting on the edge of it and he was tempted to just chug it down, but he didn't. He picked up the phone and dialed a number to the station that broadcasted the porn he watched on TV and listened to one of the operators.

"Yes, this is Kaiba; I would like to cancel my subscription to the OMG Porn channels." Kaiba said. "No, I don't want to have an upgrade on it or anything I just want it canceled. Canceled as in terminated, you idiot!"

After he made that call, he called 10 other stations and ended his subscriptions to all the porn channels on his TV. He leaned back in his chair when he was done and rubbed his forehead. He had to admit that he felt a little better.

XXXXXXXX

Mokuba looked at Alyssa while they watched TV that night. He noticed a change in her and tried to ignore it. It was like she was trying too hard to be nice and happy, but it wasn't having the desired affect. So, she had lapsed into silence a few minutes ago.

"Alyssa, is something wrong?" Mokuba asked when a commercial came on.

Alyssa shrugged and continued staring at the TV screen. She didn't feel like bringing the boy down about his older brother and the problems he caused. So, she refused to talk about it.

"Is it about what happened last night?" Mokuba questioned. "Because I heard you guys talking this morning about something and he didn't seem too happy later…"

"We had a fight about something and it was a touchy subject." Alyssa said, giving in a little bit. "And I don't want to talk about it."

"But this wasn't the first time you two have fought…" Mokuba pointed out. "And after that first one, you changed a bit…"

Alyssa sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore, Mokuba. It's all in the past and that's where it will stay."

"He changed, too." Mokuba said. "He started staying out later when you took the assistant job and started becoming distant with him. But I could tell that he liked you…"

"He doesn't like me." Alyssa blurted out.

"But he got rid of the porno channels." Mokuba informed her. "And he's coming home sooner to spend time with me today."

"That's an improvement in his problem." Alyssa muttered, getting to her feet and walking around the couch. "But that still doesn't change anything. He's still the same man that he was two days ago."

"I thought you liked him." Mokuba mumbled, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"I like your brother as a friend and that's all." Alyssa lied, looking away from him. "He did so many things that hurt me that I can't forgive him and nothing he does will help me forgive him."

Mokuba looked down and didn't say anything else. Alyssa sighed and walked over to the coffee table and sat on it so that she was facing him.

"Mokuba, your brother and I have problems, but we can try to work them out a bit. But nothing is ever going to happen between us until he grows up some. That won't change how I treat you, though. We can still have fun."

"Can we go to the festival on Saturday with Seto?" Mokuba asked hopefully.

Alyssa battled with her inner thoughts. "I guess, but there will be no Tunnel of Love for any of us, got it?"

"I got it."

"Good." Alyssa said, standing up. "Your brother's here, so I have to go."

"Bye."

Alyssa waved to show that she had heard and opened the door. Kaiba was just getting out of his car. She gave him a small smile as she passed him on the way to her motorcycle and thought that she had seen him open his mouth to say something. She glanced back at him when she started her motorcycle and saw that he was already at the door of his mansion.

_Must have been my imagination, _she thought, driving off.

Kaiba watched her drive off and cursed himself silently for not saying what he wanted to her. He closed the door and walked over to where Mokuba was sitting.

"What's up, buddy?" he asked.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:Had to throw in that bit of brotherly love at the end because I simply couldn't help it. Please continue to review me, give me your opinions, and being faithful readers. You all make the story worth publishing on this site. Thanks._


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Woohoo! Spring Break rules! Time for some Easter updates for everyone! Yay!_

XXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Nineteen**

Yugi heard someone muttering in his room and opened his eyes and saw a blonde elf looking at him. She giggled at him.

"He's kind of cute." she said to someone.

"Is not." someone else said.

Yugi sat up and saw Gemini Elf in his room. Hand of Nephthys, Performance of the Sword, and Dark Magician were all in a corner of the room, asleep. Yami was sitting on the end of the bed, watching the two elves.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked quietly, so he wouldn't wake the slumbering Duel Monsters.

"We were bored and we didn't know where else to go." the redhead muttered. "Besides, we don't want to hang out with Harpie's Brother anymore. He's crazy over Harpie Girl, now that she's been injured…"

"So, you two want to join our side?" Yugi asked.

"That's what we're saying." the blonde said. "I think…but there was something else…"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Kaiba is trying to make Alyssa like him by doing all kinds of things to amend his past ways. But in doing so, she will probably snap and try to find the person who sparked the change. More than likely she will think that it's you or one of your friends, so I would be prepared for another round of attacks."

Yugi nodded. "But does that mean that she will kill someone else?"

"Possibly. But I'm not sure, seeing as I've been too busy watching Kaiba to care about what Alyssa had been doing."

"Well, I hope she doesn't kill anyone…"

XXXXXXXX

Alyssa was just driving around town pointlessly, waiting for her emotions to settle down. She saw two people in the shadows and smelled blood and evil. She smirked and parked her motorcycle.

A man was being mugged by a larger man. She walked over and kicked the mugger into a brick wall. The man who was being mugged looked up at her.

"Run." she ordered, hands clenched into fists. Her eyes glowed scarlet in the darkness.

The man hastened to obey her. Alyssa smirked and walked towards the mugger as he stumbled to his feet. He pulled out his switchblade and thrust it at her. She kicked it out of his hands and punched him in the gut. She watched him double over before grabbing him by his throat and slamming him back against the brick wall.

"Any last words?" she asked.

"What are you?" he questioned.

"Your worst nightmare and your end." Alyssa hissed, nails biting into the soft flesh of his neck. "Goodbye."

She ripped his throat out and ignored the blood that sprayed onto her face. She let go of the man and let him fall in a puddle of blood at her feet. She smirked and walked over to a nearby fountain.

She dipped her hands into the cold water and scrubbed the blood off. She then splashed the water on her face and made sure that no blood was visible on her person. She then walked back over to her motorcycle and got on it.

_Well, that was entertaining, _she thought, heading home. _But it was not worth my time really…_

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa smirked at her uncle's face as he watched the news the next morning. He seemed shocked that there had been another murder. It was part of life, so she had no clue why two murders in one month would make him act this way. That's when she noticed Croquet hovering just out of her line of sight.

_He must have been protecting Pegasus from the worst of the murders, _Alyssa thought, returning to her yogurt smoothie. _It would be so easy to snap either of their necks…but I need them. Darn._

"Well, I've got to go to work." Alyssa announced, getting to her feet and throwing the smoothie container in the trash. "See ya later."

"Come right home, young lady!" Pegasus commanded, still staring at the TV screen like it was his life line. "I'll send Croquet to pick you up if I have to!"

Alyssa looked at Croquet and sized him up. "He won't be able to do much to get me back here after work." Alyssa said. "So that threat's pretty much out."

"Fine! I'll send that new guard Uchiha after you!" Pegasus said, looking at her now. "And you better go with him or I'll have to punish you for a very long time, Angel."

Alyssa considered telling him to go fuck himself, but she knew that wouldn't end well, so she simply sighed. "Fine. I'll come right home."

After Pegasus tried to give her a hug, Alyssa left the Pegasus mansion and gagged herself. _Stupid mortal, _she thought, getting on her motorcycle. _Your days on this planet are growing short._

When she got to the KC building 10 minutes later, she was amazed to find that Kaiba was sitting at her desk, looking bored. He simply glanced at her and continued writing something on a piece of paper.

"Kaiba?" she asked, walking over to her desk and crossing her arms. "What are you doing?"

Kaiba stood up and handed her the paper. "Call this number, follow all the instructions on this, and then switch the call over to me in my office." Kaiba ordered curtly.

Alyssa took the paper and looked at it as Kaiba walked past her. It was to a flower delivery shop.

"Uh…Kaiba?" she asked, looking at him.

"Just do it, Alyssa." he said. "No questions." With that he walked into his office.

Alyssa sank into her seat and looked at the number of the shop. _What is this mortal planning? _Alyssa thought, reaching for the phone.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa sighed as she leaned back in her seat. Kaiba had been on the phone for over three hours before he had finally hung up. She knew this because she had walked in on him making calls when she had KC related reports. He had simply put them to the side and continued talking into the phone. She had no clue what he wanted with such a large order of flowers. But she had a feeling that sometime in the near future she'd find out. So she was currently playing 'What Is Kaiba Up To' and naming off things that involved flowers that he would more than likely do.

She winced when she heard a squeal of delight from the elevator and turned to see Kathy racing out of it, bearing a large vase of white roses. She cocked her eyebrow and waited patiently for Kathy to spout her guts.

"You'll never believe who gave me these!" Kathy exclaimed, hopping into the seat across from Alyssa.

"Bakura." Alyssa muttered.

"Nope." Kathy said, bouncing in the chair happily. "Guess again."

Alyssa looked at the ceiling and thought of random men. "Kevin the copy guy."

"No!"

"Keith."

"No!!"

"Sieg Harry."

"NO!!!"

"I don't know."

"See? I told you that you'd never guess!" Kathy exclaimed, smiling happily as she patted the matching white vase.

"Who gave you the roses, Kathy?" Alyssa asked, getting agitated.

"Kaiba!" Kathy declared.

Alyssa nearly fell out of her seat. "He didn't!"

"He did!" Kathy said. "Look!!" She held out a card.

Alyssa took it and read what was on it out loud. "Kathy, I'm sorry for everything I put you through, but I wanted you to know that I have found the one. She isn't you, but you will always be one of my best employees. Again, I'm sorry. –Kaiba."

Kathy smiled even more brightly. "He remembered me and our night! He sent me an email about 15 minutes ago and is sending more to every other girl that he ever spent a night with! Our wishes have come true!" She stared off into space. "He remembered all of us all this time."

Alyssa's hand was shaking as she handed the note back to Kathy. "But what's with the flowers?" she asked.

"They're my favorite kind of flower." Kathy informed her. "Like June from accounting, she got white lilies. And Beth from research and development, she got tulips."

Alyssa barely listened as Kathy started counting off people's names. She couldn't stop shaking as she heard the words. Kaiba was actually telling women sorry for everything that he had done wrong to them. He was sending them flowers. He was telling them that he had found 'the one' and that it wasn't Kathy or the girls in the office building. He was trying to fix his past to get back in her good books.

"And you know what, Alyssa?" Kathy asked, not really looking at Alyssa.

"What?" Alyssa asked in a tight voice.

"I hope that girl who is the one for Kaiba realizes how lucky she is and that they will settle down some day and have a nice family." Kathy said. "That's all I want for them."

Alyssa shuddered and tried to force her stomach contents back down into her stomach. She felt the stomach acid burning at the back of her throat and tried to focus on the blessed pain it was giving her. It helped settle her stomach a little.

Kathy looked over at Alyssa and noticed that her face had a light tinge of green in it. Her look of happiness instantly changed to that of worry. "Alyssa, are you alright?" she asked, setting her vase on Alyssa's desk and getting to her feet.

"I'll be fine." Alyssa muttered, waving a careless hand as she held her face in the other.

"Are you sure?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll lay under my desk for a little bit." Alyssa mumbled, sliding out of her seat and disappearing from Kathy's view. "Can you man the phones for me?"

"Sure thing, Aly." Kathy said, taking Alyssa's abandoned seat.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba exited his office when it was time to close up. He expected to see Alyssa sitting at her desk, staring at her inbox with a bored look on her face. Instead, he saw Kathy turning the computer off and getting ready to leave.

"Where is Alyssa?" he questioned.

Kathy jumped and looked over at him. "She's under the desk, Mr. Kaiba." she said in a hushed voice. "The poor girl wasn't feeling too well when I saw her, so I let her lay down under her desk and she kind of fell asleep."

"Ahm not asleeping." came a muffled voice from under the desk.

Kathy shook her head and gathered her purse and vase of white roses. "Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba, Aly."

Kaiba watched Kathy enter one of the elevators before walking over to Alyssa's desk. He circled it and looked under it. He smirked at what he saw.

Alyssa had wedged herself into the small space and had obviously been asleep in that cramped position for awhile. She looked at him through groggy, half open eyes.

"Hello." he said.

"'Ello." Alyssa yawned, scratching her head. "Cramp smuch?"

"So, I heard that you weren't feeling too hot." Kaiba said, offering her a hand out of there. "Why didn't you come and ask if you could leave?"

"You were busy and it wasn't anything too horrible." Alyssa mumbled, taking his hand and letting him pull her out of her cramped position. "Just an upset stomach." She stretched, but didn't miss the fact that Kaiba had seen her shirt lift up a few inches. "And now I think I need to schedule a meeting with my masseuse…"

"Well, that's what you get for falling asleep under your desk." Kaiba pointed out.

Alyssa shot him a dirty look. "And people were going on about how nice you were today." she muttered. "A bundle of roses or assorted flowers for almost every woman in the city. All love and puppies, except when it comes to the girl who fell asleep under her desk. That's when Mr. Nice Guy gets to be a big meanie."

Kaiba sighed and followed her towards the stairs. He had no clue why she used them instead of the elevator, but he wouldn't say anything about it.

"So, you heard about the flowers?" he asked.

"I think the United States heard about them." Alyssa mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at him as she stepped down the stairs. "All the squeals from the female population of Domino City could raise the dead with their harshness. And there's no one to blame for that except for you."

"I think I did the right thing." Kaiba said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think." Alyssa stated. "What's done is done. And this isn't going to help your case with me. You're still the same Kaiba in my books and no amount of flowers will change that." She turned to face him. "And who the hell is 'the one for you'?"

"I don't think I want to tell you when you use that tone of voice." Kaiba said, walking past her.

"You're a jerk, you know that, right?" Alyssa asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him as he descended the stairs, his silver-white jacket billowing behind him like a cape.

Kaiba turned to look at her. "I know that. But I'm a cute jerk."

Alyssa felt the color rise in her cheeks. "Are - are not!" she exclaimed, hurrying down the stairs after him. "You are not cute!"

"That's right. I'm _smexy_." Kaiba said with a mocking smirk.

Alyssa growled and lunged at him. He grabbed her and slammed her into the wall of the third level landing. She hissed in pain, but enjoyed the feeling of it going through her. Kaiba looked down at her and he was so close that Alyssa could feel his breath on her face. She tried to control the release of adrenaline that was already starting to course through her body.

"So, after you attacked me, what were you planning on doing?" Kaiba asked, keeping his body close to hers.

Alyssa growled deep in her throat, so it almost came out as a purr. She turned her face away from him. "I don't know." she admitted in a tight voice.

Kaiba smirked. "That's right. You don't, but I do."

He grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face so that it was facing his. Then he captured her lips with his in a fierce kiss. Alyssa tried not to melt in it and tried to push him away from her, but he just increased the pressure and went as far as biting her bottom lip lightly. Finally, Alyssa managed to gather enough strength to push him away from her.

"What the hell was that about?" she questioned, glaring at him.

Kaiba got his cold smirk back. "You still don't know, do you?" he asked.

"If I knew, then I wouldn't be asking you." Alyssa hissed. "So what the hell was that kiss about?"

Kaiba started walking down the stairs. "You're a smart girl. You'll figure it out, eventually."

Alyssa watched him leave and slid down the wall. She evened out her breathing slowly and stared down the stairs, hearing the first floor door open and bang close. She couldn't figure out what had changed in Kaiba. It was something foreign to her, but obviously not to the locked away Alyssa or the part of her that she was trying to suffocate. And she hated that.

_This is all Yugi's fault, _she thought, hands clenching into fists at her side. _And he will pay for this!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Yugi's computer beeped and he sighed as he threw aside his night shirt. He wasn't planning on wearing it, anyway. He sat at his computer and felt the Duel Monsters edge closer so that they could see what was going on.

_You have an incoming video chat, would you like to accept? _The computer asked.

Yugi clicked yes and Alyssa's mad face was instantly shown on his computer monitor. He gulped and nearly fell out of his seat after having a premature heart attack.

"What do you want, Alyssa?" he asked.

"I don't care if this is a bad time because right now, you're in trouble!" Alyssa snapped, glaring at him. "When I get my hands on you, you will regret the day you ever meddled in my life, Shrimp! And that won't be until tomorrow! So sweet dreams!"

Her face instantly vanished. Yugi gulped again and turned to face the Duel Monsters.

"What was she talking about?" Yugi asked.

"You're dead, cutie!" Gemini Elf (the blonde) said happily.

"I thought that was what it was." Yugi muttered.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:So...weird chapter right? Sure it is. I wrote it that way and I hope that you like it. Somehow this will all be resolved in a few chapters or so. Stay tuned for more details!_


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Surprise! A double update for the Easter weekend, Holy Week or whatever anyone else celebrates! Enjoy this added chapter!_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty**

Yugi hadn't been able to sleep at all that night. He kept turning little shadows into Alyssa or her pets ready to attack him. Stray cats on the street below his window became Soul Tigers with the need for his blood to stain their dripping fangs. Little old beggars became Alyssa in disguise, waiting for the right moment to rip his throat out. So, the Duel Monsters and Yami didn't get any sleep that night either. But that didn't mean that no one didn't think of anything besides keeping Yugi calm. Oh no, Yami had come up with a simple plan.

"What do you want us to do again?" Yugi asked, staring at Yami from under his bed.

Yami sighed and rolled his eyes. "Since Alyssa is good friends with Marik, I was thinking that we could try to convince him to help us lead her into a trap. After we convince him that it's for her own good. Then we can get the needed people and try to put this great evil back where it belongs."

"Why can't you just Mind Crush her?" Yugi asked, hands clenching on the aluminum bat as he heard a creak of a floor board underneath him.

"Because doing that would also get rid of Alyssa's true Yami." Performance of the Sword answered for Yami. "The one that the evil has been slowly choking the life out of."

"Well, I don't want her to choke me too." Yugi squeaked. "So can you guys go without me?"

"I can't go anywhere without you." Yami pointed out.

"Then I guess we can't go. Oh well." Yugi muttered.

Dark Magician walked over to the bed and made it levitate off of Yugi. He then grabbed Yugi by the back of his neck and pulled him away from the bed. Yugi squirmed in Dark Magician's arms as the bed touched the floor again.

"I don't want to die!" Yugi exclaimed. "I don't want Alyssa to kill me!"

"Think of what Alyssa will do if she doesn't get help." Hand of Nephthys said, glaring at him from her corner. "She's already murdered two men that we know of. There's no telling how many more lives will be lost if we don't do something to stop her."

"Your girlfriend might be lost to her as well." Performance of the Sword stated.

Yugi stopped squirming as those words sank into his brain. Dark Magician put him down, but kept close to him just in case.

"So, when do think that we should go to see him?" he asked in a flat voice.

"How about before Alyssa decides to murder you." the blonde suggested, leaning against her taller twin.

She got a whole bunch of looks from the other Duel Monsters. Yami however, didn't look away from Yugi.

"Now." he said.

XXXXXXXXXX

Marik was aware of someone shaking him as he slept. He ignored it and tried to return to his dream. The shaking persisted for a little longer before Odion gave up. Marik smiled into his pillow and continued trying to get back into his dream.

Suddenly, ice cold water splashed him. He sat up, ignoring the water dripping off of his face and hair and glared at his older sister who was holding the empty glass.

"What was that for, Ishizu!?!" he asked, glaring at Odion who was behind Ishizu and was trying very hard not to laugh.

"You were sleeping like a mummy when the Pharaoh is in the living room, waiting for you." Ishizu said in a scolding tone. "Get up and let us see what he requires."

Marik wanted nothing more than to disobey Ishizu and go back to sleep, but he knew that he would get more than a glass of water splashed on him if he didn't go see the Pharaoh now. He sighed and got out of bed, following his sister and guardian into the living room of their hotel suite. Yami was standing by the window, looking out at the world with haunted eyes.

"What is it that you want now, Pharaoh?" Marik asked, leaning against the wall, trying very hard not to sound mad or anything other than respectful.

"I am sorry if I woke you up, but this is urgent." Yami said in a voice that echoed the look in his eyes.

"We are at your service any time my Pharaoh." Ishizu murmured, bowing her head slightly. "But what is it that you require?"

"Alyssa is getting worse and I have an idea as to in how I can help her, but I need Marik's help." Yami explained. "Just for the fact that he is one of the only people that Alyssa still trusts."

Marik tried very hard not to show his pride in knowing that Alyssa still trusted him. Ishizu didn't look too thrilled though.

"I can not allow that to happen." she declared.

"Why not?" Yami asked, turning to face her.

"It would be too dangerous, my Pharaoh, should Alyssa's evil take hold of my brother." Ishizu said, looking away. "She could bring back that which you have gotten rid of. I…I don't want to lose my brother again." She looked at him with sharp eyes. "He can not help you with this plot. Neither can Odion."

Yami crossed his arms and studied her. "Is this how a servant would treat a Pharaoh?"

Ishizu shook her head. "No, my Pharaoh, and if you were to use my brother to get someone else, then you would have my blessing. But this is something that I can not allow you to do with that woman. I am sorry."

"Don't be." Yami said, his eyes softening a little. "You are only doing what you think best for your brother and I respect that."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Marik asked, keeping his irritation at being ignored hidden.

Ishizu looked at him. "No. You talk only with your second head that all men possess. You do not talk with your mind."

"I know what I should do for the good of the people." Marik stated, glaring at her. "If Alyssa's evil is as bad as the Pharaoh says, then I must do something…anything to help get rid of it. I will not have one of my friends be destroyed or destroy the world. I just won't!"

Yami and Odion watched this in silence. Odion was used to little arguments between the two siblings, but this was something new to Yami.

"If you go, you may as well become a tool in the destruction of the world!" Ishizu argued.

"I think that he should go." Odion said quietly, speaking for the first time that day.

Marik and Ishizu looked at him in surprise. Yami simply just looked at him.

"But he can't!" Ishizu exclaimed.

"If he doesn't, then he is no worse off than he'd be if he went." Odion said in a calm voice. "This is something that he must do if he sees fit and you can do nothing to stop him, Ishizu."

Marik flashed a triumphant look over at Ishizu, who sank onto the couch and hid her face in her hands. Yami walked over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ishizu, I will do all in my power to make sure that Marik is unharmed in this trap." Yami promised. "He shall come back as soon as his job is done. So let your mind rest at ease."

"My Pharaoh, it is not my mind that is ill at ease, but my heart. Your words have calmed it somewhat, but when my brother comes back whole and unharmed, then I shall rest in peace."

Yami nodded and straightened. He looked at Marik with hard eyes.

"We need to prepare for the trap." he said.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa woke up feeling sore all over and tangled in her blankets. She yawned and managed to get into a sitting position. She glanced at her hands for some reason and noticed that her left one was clenched around the Egyptian carved knife that Odion had given her for display purposes only. It was stained blood and so were her hands.

_So much for display, _Alyssa thought, getting out of her bed after making sure that there was no blood on the bedclothes. _Oh well, I guess it's not Moto's blood, but it will do for now…_

She let cold water run over the knife and scrubbed the blood off of it. She set that aside and started washing her hands. She glanced at her reflection and noticed how the purple hickeys on her neck stood out more on her paler skin. She rolled her eyes and turned the water off.

_None of this is worth my time, _she thought, taking the knife and putting it back in its case. _And I have to wait until dusk to kill that Moto boy, which is a drag. _

She pulled a pair of jeans on and found a black net top and pulled that on as well. She was in the process of brushing her hair when her cell phone rang. She slammed her brush onto her vanity top.

"Can't a girl get a moments peace around here!?!" she asked no one in particular as she found her cell phone buried under her jacket. "Hello?"

"Hi Alyssa." Marik said in a happy voice.

"Marik, uh…what's up?" Alyssa asked, instantly losing the anger in her voice.

"Nothing much, thanks to Ishizu." Marik said and Alyssa heard Ishizu make a noise of disapproval in the background. "She says hi, by the way."

"Tell her that I hope she has an unpleasant time in the Underworld." Alyssa muttered, sitting on her bed.

"I will." Marik promised. "Alyssa, do you want to hang out later? Because I'm leaving for Egypt soon and I don't want to go without spending some time with one of my best friends…"

Alyssa smirked. "That would be awesome!" she declared.

"So, how about we meet at the docks where we kind of met for the first time?" Marik suggested. "You were with Kaiba and the Yugi gang and I had Joey under my control, remember?"

Alyssa's smirk changed into a smile. "I remember that day."

"So, I'll meet you there at 9 tonight." Marik said, sounding happy at the thought.

"You bet." Alyssa purred before hanging up. "This is going to be easier than I thought my pet." she said when Soul Tiger entered the room. "I shall have one more Yami on my side and we have yet to find Yami Bakura…I wonder where he is…"

Soul Tiger gave a little shrug of his shoulders as he jumped lightly onto her bed. Alyssa stared him in the eyes.

"Yes, I know I haven't been able to contact Gemini Elf and they seem to have vanished suddenly," Alyssa commented, getting to her feet. "But as soon as Harpie's Brother stops hovering over Harpie Girl all the time, I'll send them to look for the dumb Elf. Until then, I have work to do."

She started walking down the hall when her cell phone rang again. She sighed and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"There's a race in 10 minutes and they want you to be there." Bandit Keith said. "And the prize is 5 grand. You in?"

Alyssa smirked. "Name the place and I'll be there in a few."

XXXXXXXXX

Bandit Keith was leaning against his motorcycle when he heard the familiar sound of Alyssa's motorcycle. She slid to a halt next to him and smirked. He took in her outfit and smirked at the fact that she didn't seem to care that people could see her bra under the net top. She was tough like that.

"So, where's the big shot racer?" she asked, getting off of her motorcycle after turning it off.

Bandit Keith jerked his thumb over his shoulder at a racer with a yellow motorcycle. "Says he can beat you anytime, anywhere, because he's a guy and you're a chick."

Alyssa looked at the man and Bandit Keith could tell that she was sizing the biker up behind her sunglasses. She didn't seem pleased.

"He'll be easy to beat." she muttered. "Why can't I get a real challenge?"

"Take this one and get the money." Bandit Keith said. "It doesn't matter if they're easy. It's all about the prize."

Alyssa nodded and started walking towards the racer. He seemed familiar and she wanted to know why. He looked away from his buddies and Alyssa instantly recognized him. It was the good looking guy from the club which meant that his bald headed bud wouldn't be too far away.

"So, I hear that you want to race me," Alyssa said, seeing the spark of remembrance in the man's eyes. "What makes you think that you can take me here if you couldn't take me in a fight?"

The man quickly recovered from his shock. "I am one of the best road racers out there and I will prove it by defeating you right here, bitch." he said.

Alyssa smirked and crossed her arms. "Whatever. Just don't lose your head because that just means you forfeit and I get the money anyway." She turned her back on him. "So, let's not delay your loss, let the race begin."

She walked over to her motorcycle and got on. She turned it on and was about to pull over to the starting line when Bandit Keith put a hand on one of hers.

"Don't do anything stupid, Aly." he ordered.

"I won't." Alyssa muttered, pulling over to the starting line.

"We're going to the third bridge and back." the man said, glaring at her through his helmet visor. "Winner takes all."

Alyssa rolled her eyes as the flag girl came out and held two checkered scarves out to her sides. She dropped them and the two motorcycles sped off towards the first bridge as people on the sidelines cheered.

Alyssa glanced to her right and saw the man coming up on her fast. She touched a button on the handlebar of her motorcycle and her motorcycle got a much needed nitro speed burst. She enjoyed the speed burst as she passed the first bridge. Suddenly, something didn't feel right and she sensed someone waiting ahead for her.

_Cheater, _she thought, glancing back at her opponent, who was smirking slightly.

She looked straight ahead again and veered left quickly, going over a wide stream and onto the other side of the embankment. She sped off and saw the bald man standing behind the second bridge column, obviously waiting for her to go past him. She continued onto the third bridge much to their dissatisfaction.

She did a half circle when she passed the third bridge two minutes later and sped towards the second bridge before the man got to the third bridge. She heard him kick his nitro on and speed towards her. The bald headed man was pulling out from behind the column on his own motorcycle. She saw the glint of chains swinging around in the air.

_Chains again, _she thought, seeing a thing she could use as a ramp to get over him. _That will never work on me, idiots!_

She revved harder and aimed for the makeshift ramp. Her motorcycle flew over the man and his chain connected with his buddy's head. Alyssa heard the sickening sound of his head falling to the ground while the body continued on into the column, exploding with the yellow motorcycle. She didn't look back until she crossed the finish line. The bald man was too busy looking at the remnants of his friend's bike to realize that he was heading towards another column. The crowd screamed, but it was too late and he ran into the cement column, his bike exploding as well.

Alyssa shrugged and rode her motorcycle over to Bandit Keith's side. "Well, my work is finished. You can keep the money, Keith." she said, ignoring his shocked look as he held the money. "God knows you could use it for your own good." She reached over and closed his mouth. "I'd go if I were you. The police are coming."

That got Bandit Keith's attention and he shoved the money into his pockets on his way to his red, white, and blue motorcycle.

"Punks!" he called, getting the crowd's attention. "The suits are coming!!"

Alyssa drove off as people started running about as the sound of police sirens approaching fast could be heard. There was no way in hell that she was going to get caught with these punks.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba wasn't happy when Alyssa came in 20 minutes late. That wasn't like her and he knew that he shouldn't let it slide, but after what happened yesterday, he knew that he couldn't expect less. She had been sick and then he had forced himself on her and that added with the loss of her uncle, he didn't expect much from her anymore, but she gave everything her all.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Kaiba." she said, hurrying into his office, holding her memo pad. "But I had some things to do and they were important…I'm sorry."

Kaiba could tell by her voice that she wasn't really sorry for being late. He sat there, studying her face for a few moments and noticed how she seemed paler than usual.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Of course," Alyssa muttered, crossing her arms over her net top. "Don't I look alright?"

"You're paler than normal." Kaiba pointed out.

Alyssa examined one of her hands and noticed the porcelain color her skin had become. She shrugged and looked back at him.

"It's nothing." she muttered. "I just haven't been in the sun a lot lately."

Kaiba nodded slowly. "C'mon Alyssa, I have work outside of here to do for the gala next week." he said, heading towards his office doors. "So, we'll be out all day and part of tomorrow if we have to."

"Yes sir." Alyssa murmured, following him like an obedient servant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: So...anyone like it? Anyone hate it? Please tell me and I'll try to get another chapter on here sometime this week. Thanks!_


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: This is for the person(s) who decided to review me when I did that last update. Thanks to you all and may you enjoy this next bit of randomness..._

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty One**

Alyssa was walking along the docks, looking at the spot where the crane had been holding a crate over the metal chair that Tea had been chained to when Marik was possessed by evil. She knew that she wouldn't have cared if the metal crate had dropped onto Tea's head because she hated all of her friendship talks. But Kaiba had seen to it that Tea was saved with his stupid helicopter and his stupid, but deadly accurate aim of his Blue Eyes card.

She looked at the spot where Joey and Yugi had dueled and again regretted that both of them hadn't been lost to the churning water. It would have saved her a lot of trouble and time with them out of the way, but the world would have been taken over by someone else if they had died back then and she couldn't have let that happen.

The sea spray hit her face and she breathed in the fresh salty smell. The air around this part of the docks was always clean and refreshing and she used to come here all the time to be by herself. Not anymore. She didn't need to be by herself. She needed to have help and minions and she needed to have the world at her feet. And soon, she would.

"You're here early." Marik commented, standing a few yards away from her.

Alyssa placed a small smile on her face before looking at him. "I got away from Kaiba and my uncle as soon as it was possible." she said. "Because I wanted to hang out with my best friend!"

Marik smiled a small smile, but made no move to get closer to her. Alyssa looked over at the place where Yugi and Joey had dueled with the threat of being pulled into the ocean by an anchor.

"They were right not to let them die." Alyssa said in a voice that Marik didn't quite recognize as hers. "They were needed to help defeat the evil going to take over the world after you. They could have left the girl, though. We don't need her…" She smirked. "No one needs that friendship freak."

"Alyssa, what are you talking about?" Marik asked.

"You should know by now, Marik." Alyssa stated, glaring at him with glowing scarlet eyes. "All the time you were near me, I felt your darkness coming back slowly. It just needs some help and everything will be better."

"No it won't, Alyssa." Marik argued, backing up a step as she started approaching him slowly.

"The time has come for the new world to show." Alyssa hissed. "My world will be better than any that the puny weaklings of before could have thought of. Join me, and your life and that of your family will be spared and you shall have everything your heart desires."

"I want my friend back." Marik whispered, glaring at her now.

Alyssa shook her head. "You can't have that pathetic weakling back ever. She is a waste of time, and when I get the world under my control and join three of the 5 Yami souls, she will be no more, nor will that wretched good side of me."

She stepped on a twig and heard its snap echo around the docks. She heard something move behind her and to her sides. She stopped suddenly and scowled at Marik.

"You tricked me!" she snarled, her eyes glowing with Hell fire.

Marik backed up slowly. "I'm sorry, but you are not my friend," he muttered as Monsters started showing themselves around the docks.

Alyssa screamed in fury and Soul Tiger bound out of nowhere and stood next to her, ready to attack anyone or anything. She heard two falcon-like cries and her Harpie's Brother and Harpie Girl dove out of the sky and landed next to her.

"Alyssa, we don't want to have to hurt you." Yami said, walking towards her after sending Marik away like he promised Ishizu.

"Then get out of here, Pharaoh!" Alyssa snarled. "You're presence here in unnecessary, along with your presence on Earth. I shall eradicate that soon enough!"

"Over my dead body!" Performance of the Sword snapped, getting in front of Yami with her sword at the ready.

Alyssa smirked. "That can be arranged, traitorous bitch!" She glanced at Harpie Girl and Harpie's Brother. "You two, attack with no mercy!"

Harpie's Brother looked like he was going to do what she said even when Hand of Nephthys and Gemini Elf stood next to Performance of the Sword in defensive positions. Harpie Girl, whose leg was still injured, looked less sure of herself.

"NO!" she snapped, crossing her arms. "I will not fight them!" She flew over to Yami's side. "This is wrong!"

Alyssa's eyes narrowed even more. "If you will not fight, then you will die as well!" she hissed in a deadly voice. "Harpie's Brother, attack!"

Harpie's Brother moved forward and stared at Harpie Girl as he raised his hand, prepared to destroy her. She gave him a watery smile and closed her eyes. He lowered his hand back to his side where it clenched into a fist.

"What are you waiting for!?! Destroy her!" Alyssa ordered.

Harpie's Brother glared over his shoulder at her and whipped around, slicing Soul Tiger across the chest and throat in one swift motion. Alyssa gasped in pain as Soul Tiger choked on its own blood and burst into thousands of pieces. Without looking back, Harpie's Brother walked over to Harpie Girl and grabbed one of her hands. Alyssa spat some blood out of her mouth and looked at them.

"I have more Monsters where you came from!" she hissed, reaching for her back pocket.

Yami held up a case of Alyssa's Duel Monster cards. "You will find them less than obedient now." he said.

Alyssa glared at him and started backing towards the water, thinking that it would be an easy way to get away. The water started freezing over and she looked up to see Neo Aqua Madoor shaking his head. She hissed like an angry cat and walked back to where she had been standing before.

"Just give up, Alyssa." Yami ordered.

"I'll never give up!" Alyssa screamed, a third eye glowing on her forehead.

Harpie Girl instantly jumped in front of Yami and got the full blast of Alyssa's Mind Crush. Harpie's Brother started forward to catch her as she fell but she disintegrated with a small smile. He pulled back and glared at Alyssa. She smirked.

"That Monster was weak and she got what she deserved!" she declared.

Harpie's Brother let out a harsh cry as he raced towards Alyssa. She held up a hand and he was frozen in time.

"I brought you into the world easily," she whispered, eyes turning black. "And now, I take you out just as easily."

Harpie's Brother started disintegrating but managed to send an attack at Alyssa which hit her. She shrugged the blow off and glared at Yami.

"So, what's next?" she asked in a mocking tone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie sighed in frustration as she tried to call Yugi again and it went straight to his answering machine. She didn't leave a message again, but hung up and threw her phone onto her bed.

"I call his cell phone, it goes to voice mail! I call his home phone, it goes to the answering machine!" she snapped, pacing around her room.

Gyakutenno Megami sighed. "He does have a life, you know, and he is a human who needs time to get some sleep."

"But he's not home!" Carrie exclaimed. "Harpie Lady established that fact before she went back into her card out of sheer boredom!" She flopped onto her bed. "Where the hell is he?"

"I don't know." Gyakutenno Megami muttered.

There was a knock on Carrie's door. "Carrie, Tristan's here, and he would like a word with you," Mai called through the door before walking off again.

Carrie sighed and rolled off her bed. She led Gyakutenno Megami out of the room and into the living room where Tristan was pacing (his Monster was back in its card).

"What is it, Tristan?" Carrie asked, trying to sound a little interested and not succeeding.

"Yugi's found Alyssa and has set a trap for her." Tristan said.

Carrie rolled her eyes. "I just knew that it had to involve my cousin." she mumbled. "Everything does now…What does Yugi want me to do about it?"

"He wants us to help keep her confined until we can get those three people she needs." Tristan muttered. "That is, if he manages to get Alyssa without killing himself."

"I don't want any part in this." Carrie said, turning her back on him. "So count me out."

"But she's your cousin!" Tristan exclaimed.

"I said that I don't want any part of it." Carrie repeated, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I'm not the one she needs to get better, so I won't waste my time trying to help her with her problems." She pulled a card out of her pocket. "Gyakutenno Megami, your presence is no longer required."

There was a flash of green light and Gyakutenno Megami was gone. Carrie's hand dropped back to her side as she started walking again.

"You better go now, because Yugi may need your help." she said in a flat voice. "And don't bug me again until my cousin is better or we meet in the Shadow Realm."

Tristan watched her walk back to her room in silence before leaving the premises. He got on his motorcycle and sped off towards the docks where Yugi was probably battling for his life.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa growled as she landed on one of her knees. She was bleeding in several places, but that didn't slow her down nor did it stop the ferocity of her attacks. All the Duel Monsters on Yami's side had some battle wound inflicted on them from her. Ranging from large bruises to cuts to bite wounds to claw marks. She let nothing stop her from getting what she wanted and she wouldn't back down, even faced with taller and more deadly opponents.

_**How about Mind Crushing her now? **_Yugi suggested.

_NO! _Yami snapped, gritting his teeth as Dark Magician was attacked again by Alyssa, who didn't rely on her Monsters anymore. _No Mind Crushing!_

_**Try telling her that!**_

Both Hand of Nephthys and Neo Aqua Madoor cried out in pain as Alyssa Mind Crushed them. Now the only things separating Alyssa from him were Dark Magician, Performance of the Sword, Gemini Elf, and about 15 feet of sidewalk. None of it was very promising on any level.

"I grow tired of these little games, Pharaoh!" Alyssa hissed, getting to her feet again. "When are you going to actually fight me?"

Yami winced in pain as Dark Magician was hit again. Alyssa's laugh echoed around the docks. What once was a soul lifting laugh had suddenly turned into that which made the Devil himself shudder in fear.

"If you do not wish to fight, I shall end it all now in one swift move so you will not feel anything as the Shadow Realm claims your soul. And that of little Yugi." Alyssa said, raising her glowing hands.

A card in Yami's deck glowed, and so did Dark Magician. A white light shone from them and it was so bright that Alyssa had to cover her black eyes for a second. Standing in Dark Magician's place was a more impressive Monster: Magician of Black Chaos. Alyssa took a step back as she took in his presence and the fact that he was completely healed along with Performance of the Sword and Gemini Elf.

"NO!!" Alyssa screamed as he raised his staff and purple energy streaked out of it at her.

Yami looked away as the energy connected with Alyssa. She stared at her five opponents with wide eyes as she fell to her knees. Those cold eyes closed slowly as she fell and lay on the ground, unmoving. Performance of the Sword ran over to her side and touched her neck.

"She lives." she muttered, picking her up. "But she won't be out for long. We need to get her to a safe location."

"We could take her to an abandoned warehouse." Yami suggested after Yugi had suggested it in his mind. "Or Yugi's house."

Performance of the Sword thought about the offers for a second. "We should go to an abandoned warehouse, but we'll need something to secure Alyssa to."

Magician of Black Chaos walked over to the chair that had held Tea a couple of years ago. The binds wouldn't work anymore, seeing as they were rusted and they had no key, but they could use something else to hold Alyssa back. He ripped it off the ground and held it as if it was a toy.

"Let's find an abandoned warehouse." Performance of the Sword said, walking towards a group of them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa groaned as she woke up. She saw Yami standing a few feet away from her and tried to lunge forward, but found that she couldn't. Her hands were bound to the arms of the metal chair and her feet were tied to it as well with a thick rope. She growled at him and showed her pointed teeth.

"When I get out of this, you're dead!" she snarled, eyes burning again.

Yami barely looked at her. He was busy waiting for Tristan and Carrie to show up. He heard someone pull up outside of the building and knew that it was Tristan. Gemini Elf hurried over to one of the doors and opened it quickly. They shut the door just as he cleared it.

Alyssa hissed like an angry cat again and tried to get at him. Tristan was taken aback by her savageness, but continued walking towards Yami.

"Where is Carrie?" Yami asked, disappointment and confusion clear in his voice.

Tristan sighed. "She refused to come, saying that she wasn't needed."

Alyssa gave a dry laugh. "She's not. And she knows it. That girl is smarter than people give her credit for." She smirked. "That's why when I'm done with you two, she'll be the next one to die!"

She lunged forward, breaking her bonds. Her hands clamped around Tristan's throat and she smiled almost lovingly.

"Goodbye, mortal!" she hissed, tightening her hold on his neck.

Yami karate chopped the back of her neck, causing her to release Tristan and fall to the ground. She hissed again and tried to knock his feet out from under him so she could proceed to choke the life out of him. Tristan sat on her and pinned her arms above her head.

"Alyssa, knock it off!" he ordered. "We're your friends!"

"NO!!" Alyssa cried, shaking her head. "No friends! I don't want friends! They take away life! Too much happiness!! NO!!! Can not allow you to survive! No friends!" She started rambling about how she didn't need friends and how they were killing her.

Tristan looked up when a large shadow loomed over him. Magician of Black Chaos reached down and plucked Alyssa out from under him, taking her back to the metal seat that had been bolted onto the ground. Alyssa seemed to snap out of her rambling spell the instant she had been removed from under Tristan.

"I'm going to kill all of you!!!" Alyssa screamed, trying to get out of Magician of Black Chaos' grip. "When I get free and when you least expect it, you will all die!!!"

Magician of Black Chaos put Alyssa down on the chair and bound her there with magical golden chains. No matter how hard she struggled against them, she couldn't get free.

"What do we do now, Yugi?" Tristan asked, getting to his feet again.

Yami shook his head. "I don't know."

"You should call Kaiba and get him here." Performance of the Sword said, crossing her arms. "He is the last person we may need."

"He'll never come for you, fools!" Alyssa laughed, grinning wickedly. "He doesn't believe in all those tales you spin! He believes them to be fairy tales and that's all he'll ever believe, no matter how many times you prove him wrong!"

The redhead Gemini Elf looked at Yami. "He did say that he didn't want anything to do with this and that he didn't believe Alyssa would do anything like this…So, she's right."

Yami reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "I don't care." he said. "I'm calling him and he will come eventually."

XXXXXXXXX

Kaiba muttered curses under his breath into his Alyssa scented pillow when his phone rang. _If it's not her, I'll just hang up, _he thought.

"Hello?" he asked, getting his face out of the pillow.

"Kaiba, I need you to come down here now." Yami said, but Kaiba couldn't tell the difference so he thought it was Yugi.

"Come where?" Kaiba asked.

"DON'T COME!!" Alyssa screamed in the background and Kaiba heard something like someone slapping someone else.

"What was that?" Kaiba questioned, sitting upright in his bed.

"Alyssa. She's going crazy, Kaiba, and we need your help." Yami stated, sound agitated.

"If this is about Alyssa's 'great evil', I already told you that I don't believe in that nonsense!" Kaiba declared. "So, drop it already, Moto, if you know what's good for you!"

"See? I told you he wouldn't listen!" Alyssa exclaimed from the background again. "Too bad for you, mortals. You will all die, anyway!"

"Can one of you Monsters shut her up?" Tristan asked in the background.

"Kaiba, are you still not convinced about Alyssa?" Yami inquired, knowing very well that Kaiba had heard every part of the background conversation.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "No." he said before hanging up.

XXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I know this was a short chapter, but I will make it up to you by doing a double update. Again. Hopefully more people review me now..._


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Yay for double updates! You know why I like them so much? It's because they help get to the end of one conflict in a story faster so that a new one can begin! And no, there isn't anything about the other conflicts in here...or are there?_

XXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Carrie grumbled under her breath as her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Yugi. Sighing, she turned her phone off and stuck her face back in her pillow. She didn't feel like talking to him.

She heard a swoosh of air in her room and didn't bother looking up from her pillow. She knew that Performance of the Sword was standing in the room with Yami. And there was no way that he was going to get her to talk to him about Alyssa's problem.

"Carrie," Yami began, standing at the side of her bed. She gave him no sign that she could hear him. "I need your help."

"Go away." Carrie mumbled into her pillow.

"Alyssa is getting worse. She's already broken her first bonds and is struggling against the new ones we put on her." Yami continued like she hadn't said anything. "She nearly killed Tristan when she escaped the first time."

"Good for her." Carrie muttered. "Now go away."

"And when we tried to get Kaiba to come to where we're holding her, he refused." Yami said.

"Good for him."

Yami sighed and yanked the blankets off of her. A shiver went up Carrie's body as her legs were exposed to the cold air. She turned her head slightly, so she could look at Yami with one eye through her mess of blond hair.

"Carrie, Alyssa needs you more than anything now and you owe it to her to help her." Yami stated, glaring down at her. "She would do the same for you."

"I can't help." Carrie mumbled. "I'm not needed, and I've run out of ideas to help anyone. So leave me alone, Yami."

"What about your anger with Kaiba for sleeping with your cousin?" Performance of the Sword asked, standing at the foot of the bed.

"What about it?" Carrie asked, sitting back on her heels.

"Are you still angry at him?" Performance of the Sword questioned.

"Of course I am."

"Then perhaps you could use your anger to our benefit." Performance of the Sword suggested, smiling slightly. "You could possibly convince Kaiba into action, thus bringing us a step closer in releasing your cousin."

Carrie looked between Yami and the Duel Monster as she let those words sink in. She could actually help her cousin in a way. That's all that really mattered.

She smirked as she looked at Yami. "I'll give him Hell for you!" she declared. She looked down at her nightclothes and blushed. "After I get dressed." she added in a more subdued tone.

"You do that." Yami said as Performance of the Sword created another portal.

Carrie watched him and the Duel Monster vanish into the portal before it closed. She shivered again and jumped out of bed.

_I've always wanted to yell at Kaiba for a good reason, _she thought, hurrying over to her closet. _Actually, I've just always wanted to yell at him for everything that he's done wrong!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba ignored the beeping of his phone as he sorted through various files and reports that lay scattered on his desk. It had been doing that for the past five minutes and he wasn't planning on listening to Kathy at the moment.

His doors opened and someone stomped into his office. They seemed to be purposefully stomping their boots on the floor to get his attention, but he had no intention of giving them it. He was busy and he was sure that whoever it was could wait.

The person slammed their hands down on the desk, causing Kaiba to look up into the angry face of Carrie. He sighed and looked back at his reports.

"Go away, brat." he ordered in his normal cold voice.

"No." Carrie said with a harshness that Kaiba wasn't used to hearing from her. "Not until you pay for everything you've done to Alyssa and me!"

Kaiba glanced at her. "I haven't done anything to you."

"Bull shit!" Carrie hissed. "By hurting Alyssa, you've hurt me!"

"I didn't hurt Alyssa."

"BULL FUCKING SHIT!!!" Carrie screamed in his face. "You hurt her by screwing her and then trying to make her do it again and remember it!!! You hurt her by screwing around with all the whores of Domino City!!! You hurt her by watching women parade around on the TV screen, doing obscene acts!!! You hurt her and if you don't stop it, you'll be hurt by your own actions!!!"

"What I did shouldn't have made any difference in the life of Alyssa." Kaiba said, getting to his feet and walking over one of the large windows of his office. "She didn't care about what I was doing, and I tried not to care about what she was doing. She has no feelings for me, so I hurt no one doing what I did."

"Like Hell you didn't!" Carrie snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at his back. "Alyssa poured her soul out to me when she returned from work everyday! She told me how bad her heart was breaking when she saw you on some half-clad whore and I couldn't do anything to help her!!! I felt her pain that you caused, and with your stupid actions, the pain grew so bad that she refused to even talk about it anymore!"

"Shut up!" Kaiba ordered, keeping his back to her.

"She thought she'd hidden her pain from me, but I saw it every time I looked at her. She was putting a brave face to the world when she was dying on the inside, thanks to your stupid actions."

"Shut up!!"

"I knew she hadn't found a solution when she started dating Wheeler. She couldn't find someone to fill the gaping hole in her heart. She was using him to get to you. All she wanted to do was forget you, but it didn't work as she planned."

"SHUT UP!!!"

"She went back to you, and you took advantage of her kindness. She stayed with your brother when you took a little trip without telling anyone. She came back to our apartment, a different woman." Her eyes flashed. "You killed my cousin, and now this impersonator has taken over her body! But the changes didn't stop you from trying to get closer to Alyssa. No, they helped you!" She moved forward slightly. "You screwed her after she helped you beat two men nearly senseless! She started feeling after that, and she hated it, so she did the only thing that was normal for her. She killed my father!"

"I told you to shut up!" Kaiba said, spinning around to face her, his hands clenched into shaking fists.

Carrie ignored him. "She started feeling again after you started getting rid of your porno subscriptions, and she didn't like that. She killed the nearest man, who happened to be a mugger. She's attacked me and my friends because of your actions! She can't stand the feelings of happiness and love that she gets when she comes around you!"

"I'm calling security!" Kaiba threatened, reaching for his phone, but Carrie got in his way.

"Now my cousin is trying to come back, and that's infuriating the impersonator even more." Carrie said in a cold voice that matched his. "She tried to kill Tristan and Yugi last night and they can't stand it by themselves for long. Soon enough, she's going to escape again, and there will be no stopping her. She'll kill the only people that can help her first. Yugi, Tristan, and…" She smirked. "You."

Kaiba glared at her. "Your threats won't work with me."

Carrie shook her head. "I'm not the threat here. Alyssa is. The person in her body has complete control over her and the only people who can help her are the ones she wants to kill first. Two of them are already with her. They just need you."

"I'm not going to play along in this little game of yours." Kaiba said, pushing her aside and reaching for his phone again. "So you can tell your boyfriend that."

He dialed Alyssa's familiar phone number, but it went straight to voice mail. He tapped a few keys on his keyboard and Alyssa's room came into view. She wasn't there.

"You won't find her, Kaiba." Carrie said, grimacing at the fact that he had been spying on her cousin. "She's not in the KC building or Pegasus' mansion. The only people who know where she is are waiting for your help."

"That's not going to happen!" Kaiba snapped, slamming the phone back into the cradle. "I don't believe in these stupid tales!"

Carrie sighed. "I tried, but I guess it's not worth it." she muttered, backing towards the doors. "But Kaiba, if you loved my cousin for who she was, you'd believe and you'd help her." She turned her back on him. "But that's only if you loved her…"

Kaiba watched her vanish as the doors closed. His breathing slowed back to normal and he sank into his seat. He just stared at the monitor showing Alyssa's room and prayed that she'd just show up.

His phone rang again and this time he answered it, never taking his eyes off the screen. "What is it?" he asked.

"Kaiba boy, have you seen Alyssa?" Pegasus asked, sounding worried. "She didn't come home last night and I haven't heard from her. I think I should call the police to alert them about her disappearance…"

"Don't." Kaiba muttered, turning his chair around. "Alyssa's a big girl, and I'm sure that she'll show up soon enough." He didn't care how easy it was to lie to the older billionaire. "And if I see her, I'll be sure to tell you first."

"Alright. Bye, Kaiba boy." Pegasus mumbled, hanging up quickly.

Kaiba hung up and leaned back in his chair, feeling numb all over.

XXXXXXXX

Yami opened his eyes when his cell phone rang. He whipped it up to his ear and patiently waited for the caller to speak.

"Yami, I talked to Kaiba," Carrie muttered, sounding almost breathless. "But I don't know if he's convinced or anything. He kept telling me to get out and…I just got the sense that he wasn't quite absorbing my words like he was supposed to."

"Trust me, he's convinced, but needs some time to realize what he needs to do." Yami said, glancing over his shoulder at Alyssa, who was staring at him with cold eyes. "And when he does, everything will be as it was."

"I hope so." Carrie muttered. "Because I'd hate to have revealed Alyssa's secrets to someone who didn't give a damn. And you better not tell anyone what I told him, either!"

Yami had a small smirk on his face. "I won't." he promised. "I'll talk to you when we're done with this."

"You better." Carrie stated before she hung up on him.

Yami got to his feet after he put his cell phone back into his pocket. Alyssa watched him and he saw a shadow of a smirk on her face.

"He's not going to come." she whispered. "Not for anything in this world, including the life of the wench." She shook her head. "He has no love for her. Only lust. And lust I can handle."

Yami crossed his arms as he took in her dark appearance. The Eye of Ra on her right shoulder seemed to pulsate with a black light.

"If Kaiba felt no love for Alyssa, why did you shy from him at times?" Yami questioned, remembering the eye opening conversation between Carrie and Kaiba minutes ago.

"I don't need to explain myself to someone as low as you." Alyssa stated, smirking at him behind the curtain of black and red hair that had fallen in her face.

"But I already know why." Yami said, walking around her. "You felt his love for Alyssa grow in his icy heart. The warmth of it scared you. The love he felt scared you. It drove you mad."

"I am not scared of anything!" Alyssa snapped.

"You're scared of happiness, love, and all the other warm feelings that are not familiar to you." Yami pointed out. "Experiencing them drives you mad and makes you feel the urge to return to some normality in your life. So, you kill someone. But that feeling always comes back to haunt you and you want it gone. You don't want to feel human."

"I AM NOT HUMAN!!" Alyssa shrieked, struggling against her magical binds. "I AM ALL POWERFUL!!! I MADE RA AND THE OTHER GODS OF EGYPT!!! THEY WORSHIP ME AND ONLY ME!!! WORLDS TREMBLE AT MY FEET!!!"

Yami put a hand on her shoulder and she recoiled. Her face became that of a scared person. He could feel her shaking under his hand.

"But you're scared." Yami said. "Scared of feeling and that is how we're going to save our friend."

"No…no friends!" Alyssa cried, shaking her head. "Don't! I don't want to feel! Make it stop, Bringer of Pain!! Make it stop!" She contorted one of her hands into an odd position and one of her sharp nails sliced across her wrist. Blood started spurting from the wound.

Performance of the Sword and Magician of Black Chaos raced forward as Yami clamped a hand over the new wound. Alyssa's eyes closed and she leaned back in the chair, a content smile on her face.

"This is nuts!" Tristan muttered from where he sat.

Yami nodded and removed his hand from around Alyssa's wrist as Performance of the Sword took over the job. Magician of Black Chaos grabbed Alyssa's other hand and pressed it down onto the cold metal arm of the chair.

"Yes! Pain!" Alyssa exclaimed happily. "Sweet, sweet pain!"

Tristan sweat dropped. "I take it back. _She's_ nuts!"

Alyssa's eyes opened suddenly and she looked around the room wildly. "Where the hell am I?" she asked in the voice that no one had heard in a while.

Tristan started forward, but Gemini Elf got in his way.

"Don't go near her." Gemini Elf ordered. "It could be a trap."

Yami walked over to where Alyssa was chained and saw her staring at the healing skin of her wrist. She looked up at him with her normal green eyes.

"Yami, help me." she whispered before her eyes turned back to their hard black color.

Yami sighed and walked towards Tristan, motioning that he would like to have a word with him outside.

Alyssa watched them go before she remembered the two Duel Monsters, keeping her hands down. "Let go of me, you pathetic creatures!" she hissed, eyes flashing with her anger.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Tristan hardly waited for the warehouse door to close before speaking to Yami. "What the hell was that, Yugi?" he asked, looking down at him. "I thought I heard the real Alyssa speaking."

"You did." Yami said, putting his hands in his pockets. "She managed to make that short connection to the outside world, but that only means that she's weaker than we thought."

"What are we going to do?" Tristan questioned.

"There's hardly anything we can do." Yami stated, looking out at the sunset on the ocean. "We can't let Alyssa loose or leave her alone for a prolonged period of time because she might attempt suicide again." He sighed as he felt his one hand that was sticky with Alyssa's blood. "The only thing we can do is wait for Kaiba to call and come here to help us."

"I'll go to Kaiba Corp and drag him here by his hair if I have to!" Tristan declared, hands clenching into fists. "He can't let her suffer like this!"

Yami smiled proudly at the determination in Tristan's eyes and his faithfulness in his friend. He could see why Alyssa enjoyed having him as a friend.

"I don't think that kind of treatment will be necessary." Yami said. "Kaiba will turn eventually and see the truth he's kept back for so long."

"Well, he better do it soon because I can't stand to see Alyssa like that." Tristan muttered, hanging his head slightly.

Yami nodded and clenched his bloody hand around his cell phone. He couldn't stand it, either, but he wasn't going to let Yugi out because he was sure the boy wouldn't be able to last a couple of minutes in the presence of Alyssa. He'd have to bear with it along with Tristan, no matter how bad it got in there.

His phone rang and again, he whipped it to his ear. "Hello?" he asked.

Whoever it had been hung up without saying a word. Yami sighed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Tristan was looking at him with hope in his eyes. Yami shook his head sadly and Tristan sighed.

"I'm going to see how Alyssa is doing now." he mumbled, opening the door to the warehouse and disappearing inside of it.

Yami took a deep breath of ocean air and let it calm some of his nerves. He glanced in the direction of the KC building that was so far away from them.

_Kaiba, I know your heart as much as I know Alyssa's and Yugi's, _he thought, glaring at the building that was Kaiba's second home. _And I know that it's been melting for some time and that scares you, but you need to follow it and save the woman who loves you, or your heart will grow cold again, and she shall grow cold in her grave._

He knew there was no way that Kaiba would have heard his silent words, so he sighed and turned to walk into the warehouse.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba had put the phone back in its cradle after he had heard Yami say 'hello'. He didn't know if he really should follow through with this ridiculous story. It just sounded so ridiculous and was everything that he refused to believe in. But something in the back of his mind told him that he should listen for once and his ice cold heart actually agreed with it.

He opened one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a file that he showed no one. He opened it and started sifting through the newspaper and magazine clippings of 'Alyssa and Kaiba' scandals that he had gathered over the past couple of years. There were pictures of her and him on their date, pictures of her laughing across from a picture of him smirking, and single shots of them. The titles of the stories ranged from things like '_Big Shot CEO dating Billionaire Niece' or 'Kaiba getting close to Pegasus' and 'Are Things Heating Up for Seto Kaiba and Alyssa Pegasus?' _

He didn't know why he collected them. Maybe it was because he liked thinking that they were somehow true. Or maybe it was because he just liked looking at the pictures of him and Alyssa having a good time with each other. He wasn't sure, but he wanted to have many more memories like that. And something told him that if he didn't act soon, he'd never get the chance.

He reached almost unconsciously for his phone and dialed Yugi's cell phone number. He heard it ring once and then Yugi picked up.

"Hello?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba was silent for a second. "Yugi, I want to see Alyssa." he said.

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Kaiba stood up. "Where are you and Alyssa?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yami hung up shortly after telling Kaiba where he was. He looked at Tristan with a small smirk on his face.

"Kaiba's coming." he said.

Alyssa's face fell. "NO!!!!!!!!" she screamed in a horrible voice.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: I love it when I make my characters evil, soul sucking fiends that go psycho at random moments. (sigh)Please tell me what you think about this pain in the butt of a story and I'll try to get an update up within the next couple of weeks. Thanks! ~Scarlet_


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: A late update is easily explained when my neighbors have blocked me from their wireless internet. Sorry guys for the wait, but it's here now and things are about to get rather interesting..._

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Yami and Tristan winced as Alyssa kept screaming. She was struggling harder than ever to break free of her magical bonds. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching as she struggled. Her eyes were burning with Hell's fire again and the Monsters shrank back. Things started shaking in the warehouse.

"NO!! YOU SHALL NOT STOP ME!!!" she screamed, eyes boring into their very souls. Yami could actually feel Yugi trembling within him. "YOU SHALL NOT LOCK ME BACK IN THIS PATHETC FORM!!! I WILL BE FREE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!!!"

The magical chains holding her began to flicker at the amount of negative energy coming from her. Magician of Black Chaos moved forward and increased the power on them, so that they became stronger and turned a dark purple in color. Alyssa's black stare turned up to him and she snarled with animal like fury. Then she fell silent and the things in the room stopped shaking.

"Uh…let's hope Kaiba comes soon…" Tristan whispered to Yami, still shaking pretty bad from staring at Alyssa during her rant. "Or I think I'll go batty on you…"

Alyssa glanced at him and smirked. "Oh, did I scare the poor little mortal?" she asked in a mocking voice. "Aw…bad me." Her eyes hardened. "Maybe that will teach you to not meddle with that which does not concern you."

"When it involves my best friend, it concerns me!" Tristan declared, glaring at her.

Alyssa hissed when he said 'friend' and pulled back in her seat. She looked away from him and started muttering something under her breath. Yami listened carefully to her and noticed that she was speaking in the ancient Egyptian language very fast, so he couldn't understand a word that she said. She seemed to realize that he was listening to her because suddenly she was looking at him with her cold eyes.

"The Shadow Realm wants your soul so much, Pharaoh." she whispered. "So many occupants are there, waiting for you to thank you in their own way for sending them there. Yes, a nice place is there for you, and I shall send you there before tomorrow's sun sets!" She smirked. "And Osiris will complain not for the loss of you. No. He understands that as the Maker of the Shadow Realm that I can put whoever I want in there and you shall make the 1000th person there sent by me!"

"I will not have the pleasure of being sent to the Shadow Realm, Alyssa," he said, crossing his arms. "I will be here, in Domino City with my real friends, including Alyssa."

Alyssa again hissed at the word 'friend', but tried to lunge forward this time. "You speak blasphemy against me!" she growled. "Do not blaspheme in my presence, bastard! Or I shall have your tongue cut out and you fed to the scarabs!"

Yami smiled slightly and moved forward a couple of steps. "Alyssa is my friend and she shall always be." he said tauntingly. Alyssa snapped her teeth at him like she wanted so bad to sink her sharp teeth into any part of him she could get to. "And you will be nothing as she experiences love and happiness without your constant nagging. She will be loved."

Alyssa shook her head and tried to shrink away from his hand that he held out over hers. She snarled at him and tried to lean over and bite him. She nearly succeeded, so Magician of Black Chaos created a magical chain that went across her chest, thus preventing her from bending over when Yami placed a hand on hers.

"Get away from me!!" Alyssa exclaimed, her face becoming contorted with pain. "Do not blaspheme in front of me, and do not touch me with your blasphemous hands!!!" She turned her face in his direction but kept her eyes closed. "Get away from me!!"

Yami smirked and removed his hand from hers. She took several deep breaths before she smirked herself. Things in the room started shaking again and Gemini Elf cried out in surprise as the old metal table they had been sitting on, started moving. Alyssa's eyes snapped open and fixed on them.

"Your presence is no longer required!" she said in a cold voice.

The Elf twins hugged each other as they started disintegrating from their boots up. They never tore their eyes away from Alyssa's horrible face as they experienced pain. Performance of the Sword buried her face in Magician of Black Chaos' chest and stifled her cries. Magician of Black Chaos simply wrapped an arm around her and looked away from the sight. With one last cry, the two Elves were gone from this world.

Alyssa gave a dry laugh. "A traitor's fate awaits them in the Graveyard," she whispered, obviously not caring that they were gone or that she was experiencing the pain of losing them as she had with all the Monsters that had been hers that she had destroyed. "As it waited for the other ones that betrayed me." Her eyes fixed onto the sobbing Performance of the Sword, who was in the arms of Magician of Black Chaos. "A worse fate awaits you, traitorous bitch!"

A sob caught in Performance of the Sword's throat and she forced it down. Magician of Black Chaos glared at Alyssa and the chains tightened on her. Alyssa didn't flinch as her bonds pressed against her ribs and her wrist bones. She was enjoying the waves of pain that went through her.

"A worse fate still waits for the Pharaoh and his little helpers and friends." Alyssa said before letting out another bone chilling laugh.

XXXXXXXXX

Kaiba parked his car next to a motorcycle that he recognized as Tristan's. He saw that Alyssa's had been unceremoniously hidden in the shadows. Sighing, he got out of his car and walked towards the door to the warehouse. He raised his hand hesitantly and knocked.

He heard scurrying of feet and the door opened. Performance of the Sword looked down at him with shadowed eyes. She moved aside to let him in and closed the door with a thud behind him.

Yami was standing with his back to him in the middle of the warehouse. Tristan was just off to the side, standing next to Magician of Black Chaos.

"Yugi, where's Alyssa?" Kaiba asked.

"Get him out of here!" Alyssa ordered from somewhere Kaiba couldn't see.

Yami turned and saw Kaiba's eyes widen. Alyssa was chained to a metal chair by purple glowing chains. She looked horrible.

"What have you done to her?" Kaiba questioned, moving forward slowly.

Alyssa winced as she heard his footsteps echo around the warehouse. She started struggling against her bonds again, but to the same result as all the other times. She could feel his unwavering gaze on her, so she simply looked at him with her narrow black eyes.

"I have done nothing to her except chain her up." Yami stated, crossing his arms. "What you see, she's done to herself."

"They're killing me…"Alyssa whispered in a cold voice that Kaiba didn't recognize. "_You're _killingme…I won't stand for this! No I won't!"

Kaiba stood a few feet away from her and just stared at the thing Alyssa had become. She smirked and clenched her hands into fists again.

"Do you believe now what we've all been trying to tell you?" Yami asked, watching Kaiba's face.

"Yes." Kaiba mumbled, not taking his eyes away from Alyssa as his own hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Foolish mortal!" Alyssa hissed, glaring at him. "You shall die with the other two. And soon, my opponents will follow. Yes…the Shadow Realm will be full in no time. Fools…"

Kaiba closed the space in between him and Alyssa, who was talking to herself again. He crouched down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees. Her face became harder as she looked down at him.

"Get away from me!" Alyssa ordered, trying to lean forward and almost succeeding because the chain around her chest was weaker than the other ones. "Leave me alone!"

"No." Kaiba whispered. "Not again."

Alyssa glared at him and struggled to lean forward again. The chain around her chest splintered out of existence and Alyssa tried to bite Kaiba. Tristan and Yami came out of nowhere and forced her back.

The instant they pushed her back against the metal chair, Alyssa's eyes grew wide. She stopped struggling and just stared at Kaiba's face.

"No…don't…I won't go back…" she whispered, shaking her head slightly. "I won't…don't make me go back to that place…"

"What's going on?" Tristan asked, looking at Yami for answers.

"She's losing control." Performance of the Sword answered for Yami. "Of Alyssa's body, at least. We're still not through with this ordeal."

"What else do we have to do?" Yami questioned, looking up at the Duel Monster, trying to block out Alyssa's ramblings.

"You two just have to hold her back," Performance of the Sword said before she looked down at Kaiba. "But his work has just begun." Kaiba looked up at her after a moment. "Are you prepared to help Alyssa?" Performance of the Sword asked.

"That's what I came here to do." Kaiba pointed out.

Performance of the Sword nodded. "We must go into her mind and find the place where the evil has locked away Alyssa."

"How are we supposed to get into someone's mind?" Kaiba questioned, regaining some of the coldness in his voice.

Performance of the Sword raised a glowing hand and touched him on the forehead with it. His eyes widened and he was frozen with that look on his face. Suddenly the Duel Monster was gone.

Tristan looked over at Yami. "Uh…what was that about?" he asked, confused.

"They've gone into Alyssa's mind." Yami stated, gesturing awkwardly at the now silent Alyssa.

Alyssa's eyes closed and her head drooped forward.

_**So, anyone feel like getting some pizza?**_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba turned around and around in the dark space around him. Dark purple swirled around the walls of black, but he wasn't sure if he could call them walls because there was no telling what this place was. Suddenly, Performance of the Sword was next to him. He noticed the sad look on her face.

"She has made so many changes in here, getting rid of every shred of light and purity in Alyssa," she said in a voice full of emotion. "I don't know how Alyssa will recover from this."

"She'd better, or I will have to kill something." Kaiba muttered, walking in a random direction.

Part of the floor gave way when he stepped on it, and he looked down to see snakes writhing in a pit. _Great, _he thought, getting back to his feet. _This place is as bad as my cyber world! Maybe even worse._

Performance of the Sword followed him and closed her eyes. She stepped lightly around traps and paused. She lifted one hand and pointed in a direction.

"Alyssa's there." she whispered. "But she's weak. So weak."

Kaiba sped up his pace when he heard something like a voice singing.

'_**I hate you. You hate me. Let's hang Kaiba from a tree. With a knife in his back and a bullet in his head. Aren't you glad that Kaiba's dead?**__' _ It cut off and then came a horrible laugh that sent shivers down Kaiba's spine.

He could now see the opening of a large hole in the ground with a not so bright light coming from it. He knew somehow that Alyssa was down there and that he had to get to her soon.

Something pushed him back and caused him to land on his ass. He got to his feet in time to see a pillar of black light in front of him. It changed slowly into the form of a woman with hard black eyes and an evil smile.

"Don't think that you're going to make it past me alive!" she hissed. "I've grown fond of the freedom this body gives me, and I'm not about to give it up without a fight!"

"If it's a fight you want, then that's exactly what you're going to get!" Kaiba snapped, pulling out 4 Duel Monster cards.

Alyssa laughed and Shadow Monsters came out of nowhere and charged at him. Kaiba held out the cards and they glowed with a bright blue light. There came three roars and Alyssa's laugh died in her throat. A three headed white dragon stood in front of her Shadow Monsters with anger in its six eyes.

"Attack with White Lightning!" Kaiba ordered, pointing at the advancing Shadow Monsters.

The three heads of Ultimate Blue Eyes White Dragon opened their mouths and white energy came streaming out of them, obliterating the Shadow Monsters. The evil fiend took a step back and glared at the Monsters. The three heads opened their mouths again and spewed forth more white energy.

The fiend of Alyssa screamed as she was ripped apart by the energy and vanished. The Duel Monster closed its mouths and watched as Kaiba ran over to the hole where the real Alyssa was. The sight below him disturbed him.

Alyssa was chained up with Chain Energy and was leaning against the side of Trap Hole. As he jumped down to check on her, he noticed how shallow her breathing was and how dirty she was, but that didn't matter. He touched her cheek and felt the warmth of it.

"You're going to be alright, Alyssa," he muttered, making the Chain Energy vanish and then he picked her up bridal style.

Performance of the Sword reached down and plucked him and Alyssa out of the Trap Hole. She didn't seem too thrilled about Alyssa's safe retrieval. In fact, she seemed too preoccupied with the fact that the place was still dark.

"Something's not right." she muttered, looking around them with narrowed eyes. "Not right at all…"

"Then let's get Alyssa out of here." Kaiba said, cradling Alyssa against him as Ultimate Blue Eyes White Dragon brought its three heads closer to them.

Performance of the Sword nodded and started walking in the direction that they had come from. Kaiba started following her with Ultimate Blue Eyes. Suddenly, fire spewed out of Trap Hole and the fire surrounded them.

_**Did you think that I would let you go that easily? Well, think again!!!**_

Kaiba looked around as the voice echoed around the place. The ground started shaking as something larger than Performance of the Sword and Ultimate Blue Eyes rose from the shadows. And for once, Kaiba knew what fear was.

XXXXXXXXX

_A/N: So interested yet? Still have the same interest as you had when you first read this story? No? Then read on peoples._


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Another chapter for those who I made wait and those who still chose to remain faithful to the story..._

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Kaiba backed up a few steps as he stared up at the writhing mass of shadows. Spirits kept flying out of it and back in it with bone chilling wails. It slowly got the form of Alyssa again, but was still the color of the shadows. Scarlet eyes glared down at him and the prone form of Alyssa.

_**Stupid mortal…I am the Creator of Shadows, and the Shadows obey me! **_

"We don't have time for this!" Performance of the Sword hissed, pulling out her sword. "Alyssa can't last much longer in this cursed place! We have to get out of here!"

_**You can't leave until I say you can! And I say you can leave when you're dead!**_

Shadow energy came streaking at Kaiba and Performance of the Sword and just knocked them back a few inches closer to the fire. The Shadow Fiend looked at them in fury and sent more energy at them. It didn't reach them this time.

"What's going on now?" Kaiba questioned, glaring at Performance of the Sword.

"She's protecting us." Performance of the Sword stated, gesturing at Alyssa. "Which is very stupid of her, because she'll just get weaker and weaker if she does that."

Kaiba looked down at Alyssa and noticed how she was becoming paler with each attack she blocked.

"Alyssa, for once in your life, listen to me!" Kaiba ordered, knowing that she could hear him like she had in her coma like state. "Stop protecting us! We can handle this!"

He didn't get a reply and he didn't expect to. The Shadow Fiend sent more shadow energy at him, along with some evil spirits that had been consumed by the Shadows. They connected with him this time and knocked him closer to the fire. He could feel the heat of it on his back.

Ultimate Blue Eyes released their White Lightning Attacks on the Shadow, but it simply laughed it off.

_**Was that you're best shot? Now let me show you mine!**_

The Shadow reached down and knocked Ultimate Blue Eyes into the fire. The dragon roared in pain as it hopped out of the fire. Kaiba winced as he felt their pain.

_**How do you expect to win, Kaiba, if you can't even hit me and inflict pain on me? How do you plan to save that wench in your arms from certain death? **_

Kaiba growled and handed Alyssa over to Performance of the Sword. He pulled a card out of his dueling deck and smirked. He glanced over at Ultimate Blue Eyes and it bowed its heads.

"I sacrifice Ultimate Blue Eyes to call forth my great beast, Obelisk the Tormentor!" Kaiba shouted, holding out the card.

Ultimate Blue Eyes vanished in a blue light. Clouds of murky gray started showing up, and from them came forth Obelisk the Tormentor. The Shadow took a step back as it stared at the Egyptian God.

_**Impossible…**_

"Nothing's impossible in Alyssa's mind." Performance of the Sword said. "And I think I'll help add to the fun."

Performance of the Sword's eyes glowed and several Monsters started walking out of the shadows behind her. The Shadow looked down with wide eyes at her Monster servants and the Monsters that she had killed.

_**Not you!!! Not you all!!! NO!!**_

Simultaneously, all the Monsters attacked the Shadow alongside of Obelisk. It screamed and light started coming from it. It doubled over in pain as the fire vanished. It looked at Kaiba with its soul burning eyes.

_**I hate you!! I HATE YOU!!!**_

Its form dissipated and the place got a lighter look to it. The Monsters that had been summoned, vanished, knowing that they weren't needed anymore. Performance of the Sword started walking towards the place where they had entered with her head held high.

"That's it?" Kaiba asked, following her.

"That's it." Performance of the Sword said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "And I thank you for helping save Alyssa."

"Don't thank me." Kaiba muttered, heading into the light of the real world.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa heard people talking and felt herself being moved, but didn't understand half of it. She groaned and opened her eyes to find herself staring up into Tristan's warm brown eyes. The blurriness soon cleared up.

"Uh…hi Tristan…" she muttered, feeling the pain in her body start to dissipate. "Uh…can you put me down now?"

Tristan set her feet down on the ground for a moment before crushing her in a huge bear hug. Alyssa put up with it, though, and even returned the hug with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks for…helping me even when I tried to…you know…kill you…" Alyssa mumbled into his shoulder.

"Anything for my best friend." Tristan said.

Alyssa pulled away from him and looked around the warehouse at the two remaining Duel Monsters and Yami. She walked tentatively towards Performance of the Sword and gave the Monster a hug.

"Thanks for saving me even when I did all those horrible things to you." Alyssa said, looking up at the Monster when she returned the hug awkwardly.

Performance of the Sword nodded and released Alyssa. Alyssa looked over at Magician of Black Chaos and noticed how he stiffened. _He's probably thinking that I'm going to give him a hug too, _Alyssa thought.

"Thanks, Magician of Black Chaos, for, well, doing what you had to do." Alyssa muttered, looking up at him. "But next time, please go easier on the chains…"

Magician of Black Chaos smirked and nodded before vanishing. Alyssa then turned to Yami. He was probably one of the people that she had done the worst things to. She couldn't see any anger in his eyes.

"Uh…Yami…I'm sorry for everything I did to you and Yugi…" Alyssa mumbled nervously. "I know that apologies are nothing but words, but I want you to know that I didn't mean anything I said or did to you. Well, the bad things, anyway. I just want you to know that I'm thankful that you saved me at the risk of your life…"

"You are forgiven." Yami said. "But there is nothing to apologize for because it was not you who did all those deeds."

"Yeah, well, that thing used my body and everyone else probably thinks that I am insane or something…I hope they'll forgive me in time…"

"I'm sure they will understand, but there is one person that needs to hear from you first." Yami informed her. "And that's Carrie."

"Alright. I'll talk to her, after I've had a shower and changed my clothes." Alyssa looked around. "I thought Kaiba was here."

"He was, but then he left when he came out of your mind." Tristan stated. "And good riddens to that snob."

"Yeah…" Alyssa mumbled, taking back her dueling deck after Performance of the Sword vanished into it. She bowed her head so that the two boys wouldn't see her sad face. "Good riddens to that snob. I have to go now…"

She turned and started walking towards the door, feeling Yami's unwavering gaze on her back. She opened the door and closed it on the stare and let a few tears slide down her cheeks as she found her motorcycle.

XXXXXXXX

The two boys that had saved Alyssa had met up later with the gang and told them about their success. They weren't exactly sure if Alyssa would show up at that meeting or when, but they knew that she would show up sometime.

Well, she showed up in her normal somewhat bright clothes and her hair had turned back to its natural dark brown color. She said her apologies to everyone, noticing how at first they were suspicious and then forgiving. Carrie was the last one and the most stubborn person she apologized to. She turned her back on Alyssa when Alyssa apologized.

"Carrie, I'm sorry…I just want you to understand that." Alyssa muttered, staring at her cousin's back. "It's been about me for so long, and I didn't want any of it. I did you wrong and now you're mad. You have that right, and I can deal with that. I just had to let you know how sorry I am for hurting you and I'm thankful for all the help you gave me."

Carrie sighed and let Alyssa wait a few minutes before finally speaking. "You're alright, kid." she muttered. "But Kaiba has you under his surveillance in your room."

Alyssa had let out a sigh of relief when her cousin had accepted her apology, but she pulled a face when she heard that Kaiba had her under surveillance. "That's not cool!!!" she cried, stomping her foot. "He should respect my privacy!!"

"That's right!" Joey exclaimed a little too loudly, causing passersby to stare.

Alyssa sweat dropped and looked at the KC building. She had been wondering why Kaiba had vanished before she had woken up, but her friends were more important at the time. Yet, she still couldn't help but think about why Kaiba would do something like that if he was supposed to be the one that was fated to help save her.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work in a couple of minutes?" Tea asked, pointing at a clock.

Alyssa glanced at it and her jaw dropped a couple of inches. "Oh crap!!! He's going to kill me!!" she exclaimed, backing up. "I'll…I'll see you guys later!"

She turned and ran. Suddenly she felt something lift her up and a gentle rolling of large muscles at work. She looked down and saw that she was on the back of her Soul Tiger.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked into the KC building; carefully putting a kitten sized Soul Tiger in her bag. Kathy looked up from her computer and smiled brightly for the first time in a long time.

"Finally! You've lost that slutty, bad ass biker chick look!" she exclaimed happily. "Thank God!"

Alyssa smiled and walked past her towards the elevators. "Good morning to you, too."

The elevator doors closed on Kathy's smile, and Alyssa let hers slide off her face. She leaned against the side of the elevator and looked at the spot that Kaiba had once occupied. She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the elevator going up the levels.

On the 60th level, she exited the elevator and walked over to her desk. She stowed her purse under her desk and gathered her memo pad that was covered with notes and a schedule for today. She took a deep breath before heading towards Kaiba's office doors and walking through them.

Kaiba was standing near one of the windows, looking out at the busy city around the KC building. Alyssa let her presence be unknown for a moment as she quieted her thoughts.

"Mr. Kaiba, you have a meeting in an hour with the Imms," she announced.

"I thought I left a message with your uncle telling you that you can have the rest of the week off." Kaiba muttered, not turning around to look at her.

Alyssa sighed and let the memo pad hang at her side. "I didn't think that I should do that, seeing as I'm perfectly alright now."

"Well, I think you should go home and not take any chances." Kaiba shot back.

"So, now you care?"

Kaiba chose not to respond. Alyssa crossed the room and placed the memo pad on his desk, keeping the desk in between them.

"Why did you come help save me?" she questioned.

Still, Kaiba didn't respond, nor did he turn to face her.

Alyssa sighed. "Why weren't you there when I woke up?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Kaiba asked.

"I don't know." Alyssa admitted.

"No one wanted me there after I saved you…"

Alyssa looked at his back. "I did."

Kaiba glanced over his shoulder at her. Alyssa blushed and looked down at the memo pad. _I did not just say that…_she thought, biting her bottom lip nervously. _Why did I just say that?_

"Alyssa…" Kaiba began before he looked back out at the city. "Mokuba was wondering if you still wanted to go to that festival with us…"

Alyssa nodded. "I'll go with you."

Kaiba gave a slight nod and inwardly kicked himself for not saying what he wanted to say. Alyssa seemed as put out as he did as he glanced in the glass at her reflection. A small frown now graced her lips, and he had no clue of how to make it turn into a smile, so he pushed that thought as far as he could into the back of his mind. He had business to attend to.

"So, what else is on the schedule for today?" Kaiba asked.

Alyssa picked up the pad and peered at it before opening her mouth to tell him what other meetings and stuff that he had to go through with.

XXXXXXXXX

Alyssa yawned as she played another video game with Mokuba later that night. Kaiba had kept her busy all day and most of it had been far away from the top level of the KC building. She didn't care that he might have been doing that on purpose because it helped her focus on more important things, like the jobs of over one thousand people that were dependent on her skills as much as they were dependent on their boss'. And having been held hostage in her mind for a while hadn't helped much either.

"YES! I win again!" Mokuba shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "Want to play again?"

Alyssa glanced at him and gave a slight nod. She glanced at her watch as the game started all over again and noticed that it was ten till 12. She groaned inwardly and continued playing the stupid game again. As a result of her sleepiness, Mokuba ended up beating her again.

This time, he shut his game off and turned the TV on to some late night cartoon. Alyssa paid very little attention to it as she listened for Kaiba's car in the drive way. She heard it, and a few seconds later, a car door was slammed. Mokuba looked at her with wide eyes and Alyssa knew what he was thinking. Kaiba was obviously in a pissed off mood.

The said man opened the door a minute later and slammed it shut behind him. He barely glanced at them as he walked towards his home office and slammed that door behind him, too. Alyssa got to her feet and stared at the door.

"Uh…Mokuba, maybe you should go to bed and I should go." she muttered.

"But I want to know what's wrong with him!" Mokuba argued, also getting to his feet. "And you're the one he trusts the best, so maybe he'll talk to you!"

Alyssa looked down at him and sighed as he gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Fine. I'll see what's wrong with him if you go to bed."

Mokuba smiled and gave her a hug before running off in the direction of his bedroom. Alyssa looked back at the office door and walked over to it. She knocked, but no one answered. With a sigh, she opened the door and entered the dark room. She took a few steps into the room and heard the door close behind her.

"Kaiba?" she asked, turning around but not seeing anyone because it was so dark. "Uh… hello? Seto?"

She turned around when she heard something move behind her. Still, she couldn't see anything, and she took a step backwards. And bumped into something… _someone_... Alyssa turned around slowly to find herself looking up at the dark form of Kaiba. Her eyes had adjusted enough for her to see his eyes on hers.

"Kaiba?" she asked.

Kaiba grabbed her suddenly and kissed her as passionately as he had the first time, but this one was not as romantic, seeing as Alyssa could taste the alcohol on his breath. Alyssa stiffened in his arms, but couldn't break free of his hold. One of his hands went under her shirt and grabbed her left breast. Alyssa gasped into his lips and started pushing harder against his chest. Kaiba quickly released her breast and the same hand went down to the waist band of her jeans, fingering the clasp.

"Kaiba!!" Alyssa shrieked into the kiss.

Kaiba suddenly pulled away from her and threw her towards the door. Alyssa collapsed onto the floor after losing her balance. She blinked several times when Kaiba turned his desk lamp on.

"Kaiba?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Get out…" he whispered, standing in front of his desk with his hands planted on it.

Alyssa got shakily to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"I SAID GET OUT!!" Kaiba bellowed, spinning around to face her with veins popping out of his face.

Alyssa shrieked and backed towards the door. She fumbled with the doorknob and realized that he had locked it when it had been dark. So she started fumbling with the lock.

"Get out…I don't want to hurt you…again…" Kaiba muttered, shaking his head slightly as he sank into his chair and put his face in his hands. "Please…just leave me…"

Alyssa finally managed to wrench the door open and ran out of the office and towards the front door. Kaiba got up and walked towards his open office door and watched her run through the front door with tears streaking down her face.

"I'm sorry…Alyssa." he whispered, closing the door slowly.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: And so this chapter ends. What do you think of this new development in this random story? Do you like what I did or do you think Kaiba was WAY out of bounds when he did what he did? I would like your input please because I value everything that you tell me about this story. Please be truthful. There are a dozen or so chapters left, so I want to see some record reviews._

_And I have a friend who's like a sister to me. Her name on here is Dreamer of A Thousand Memories and she's writing a story called the 'Forgotten Shadow' which borrows some of my ideas and gives spoilers for the upcoming chapters. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would check her Yu-Gi-Oh stories out and so would she. Trust me, they're worth it and are a load better than any of my stories. So please read and review both of our stories! Thanks!_


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: This chapter goes out to __**StarnightX**__, __**kaaayyytteee**__, and __**Dreamer of a Thousand Memories **__for your awesome reviews! Thanks guys and I hope you enjoy this new chapter._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Alyssa nearly wore a hole in the floor that night as she thought about what had happened. All of her sleepiness had vanished the instant he had touched her inappropriately. She now was wondering why he had done that, and if it had somehow been her fault. It was all very confusing, especially when she added in the fact that he had obviously been drinking earlier that evening.

"Duh…I'm so stupid!" she exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead. "The answer's been right in front of me for so long!"

Soul Tiger looked at her curiously as she walked over to her phone and dialed a number, tapping her foot impatiently. She heard some indistinct grumbling when the person finally picked up their phone.

"Hey, Kathy," she said. "I need you to help me out with something."

"Aly, it's too damn early for me to do anything." Kathy complained.

"I know, I know. But this is important." Alyssa stated, sitting on the edge of her bed. "It involves saving Kaiba and the jobs of the thousand or so employees of Kaiba Corporations."

"Okay. Now I'm listening." Kathy said, sounding more awake.

"I need you to meet me at the KC building in thirty minutes. We've got a lot of work to do."

"I'll be there." Kathy promised. "Do you want me to bring Keith?"

"Uh…no." Alyssa muttered. "Thirty minutes, Kathy."

She hung up and grabbed her black hoodie and pulled it over her bra. She held out her purse and Soul Tiger jumped in. She slid on her black flip flops and ran out the door. She left her whereabouts with Croquet, in case her uncle asked. He nodded and she went on her way.

Two minutes later, she parked her motorcycle in her parking spot in the KC building employee parking lot. She heard Kathy's truck before she saw it a few minutes later and waited for the blue haired girl to park it before walking towards the KC building.

"So, what are we going to do that will save Kaiba and all the jobs in KC?" Kathy asked as Alyssa unlocked the front door and entered the security code.

"Well, remember how Kaiba likes to drink during business deals because it loosens more people's tongues while he just does it to be 'polite'?" Alyssa questioned, heading for the first conference room on that level. "And on dates, he drinks more than one glass of wine or any kind of alcoholic beverage. Well, I think that when he went missing for a couple of days that he was somewhere out of the city, drinking away his life or going to a failed 12 Steps meeting or Alcoholics Anonymous because he has a serious drinking problem."

"Uh-huh…" Kathy said, looking confused as Alyssa flipped the lights on and started rummaging through the cabinets and file holders, looking for alcohol. "And you came to this conclusion how?"

"Kaiba was feeling frisky after drinking a bit earlier." Alyssa admitted, pulling out two full bottles of brandy. "And I guess he didn't like my whining while he tried to feel me up, so he threw me out…I haven't seen him that drunk in a long time."

"So what are we going to do with all the alcohol we find?" Kathy asked, taking the glasses that Alyssa handed her.

"Well, pouring it down the drain would get rid of the alcohol, but we should also throw away the bottles and maybe we could sell the glasses somewhere." Alyssa muttered, turning the lights off with her elbow after searching the rest of the room for hidden alcohol. "And we have to check every unlikely place in here for the alcohol. Tonight, I'll have to search Kaiba's house for any alcohol and get rid of it…But I will let him keep some champagne here and there for galas and romantic dinners with 'the one'."

"You are very dedicated to this job," Kathy commented, pulling a box out from under her desk as they passed and putting the glasses in it, "if you're willing to risk it like this."

"Kaiba should consider this a favor." Alyssa mumbled, heading into the next room to search for more alcohol. "I'm saving his life, his job, and any chance he has of finding someone to complete him."

"You go girl!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa and Kathy had found all the bottles of brandy, sherry, beer, whiskey, and vodka that Kaiba had hidden around the KC building and had properly disposed of it all with an hour until it was time for the KC building to come to life. They had left the wine and champagne for now in case there was a gala or something in the future. Alyssa held the box that was brimming with shot glasses as Kathy fumbled with her car keys. They would stow the glasses in Kathy's truck until they found somewhere to sell them and they would give the money away to someone who really needed it. And Alyssa still had to go to Kaiba's house and do the same thing there. It was a job that she wasn't looking forward to doing, but knew that she had to.

"Hurry up, Kathy…" Alyssa urged as thunder rumbled through the darkening sky. "Kaiba will be here any minute and I don't want you to get caught helping me do this!"

"But what about the cameras?" Kathy questioned, gesturing at the one next to them that was facing in the opposite direction.

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Why do you think that I made sure that we were out of the cameras' view? I didn't want you to get caught helping me. I want you to keep your job so you can support your deadbeat brother and Bakura when he gets back from where ever."

"Thanks…I guess." Kathy said, finally managing to open the rusty door and stowing the box of glass behind the driver seat, pulling a tarp over it. "There. Phase one is complete."

"And not a moment too soon." Alyssa commented as shiny silver Porsche drove into the parking lot. "Say hello to Mr. Boss Man."

"Hello, Mr. Frisky Boss Man." Kathy said, watching him park the car as the rain started coming down.

Kaiba got out of his car and made sure that it was locked before looking over at them. "Well, don't stand around, you two," he ordered, heading towards the KC building. "Get inside before it starts pouring."

Alyssa and Kathy looked at each other and hurried inside, which was kind of a problem for Kathy because she had chosen to wear 6 inch heels for some reason or other. She hadn't complained when they had been running about in the building, but maybe that was because she had kicked them off for a bit when they went up the levels. Alyssa almost pitied her, but she knew that it was Kathy's fault for wanting to wear shoes that she could break her neck in.

"So, Kaiba, what do you want to do today because your schedule isn't as packed as normal today?" Alyssa asked, falling into step next to him as he headed for the elevators.

"I want to get some coffee, and then I'll tell you what I want to do whenever I feel like it." Kaiba muttered, pressing the up button to summon an elevator. "And I need you to call the school to make sure that Mokuba actually went there today."

"Got it." Alyssa muttered, heading back over to where Kathy was sitting.

"Well?" Kathy asked.

"He's definitely recovering from last night." Alyssa whispered, reaching for one of the phones. "And now he wants coffee which he usually puts a shot of brandy into…"

Kathy laughed. "He won't find any! You made sure of that!" she declared as Kaiba got into the elevator.

"Shh…" Alyssa whispered before listening to what the person on the phone was saying. "Hello. This is Mr. Kaiba's assistant, Ms. Alyssa Pegasus. I'm calling because Mr. Kaiba would like to know if his brother, Mokuba, has made it to school by now?"

"He has, Ms. Pegasus," the woman she guessed was a secretary said. "And he's in the middle of a test right now, but I could have him come to the phone if you want to speak to him."

"No. That's alright." Alyssa said. "Mr. Kaiba was just wondering. Thank you for your time." She hung up. "And people like that make me hate my assistant job even more," she confided in Kathy.

"Me too." Kathy said. "Now, get up there or Kaiba might jump out the window or something."

Alyssa smirked and grabbed her purse from behind Kathy's desk before she walked towards the elevators. She could hear Kaiba's bellow about where his brandy was even from where she stood and sighed. It was going to be a long, temper trying day.

XXXXXXXXX

"Kaiba, I'm going to watch Mokuba now." Alyssa said, walking into Kaiba's office at the end of her work day. "What the hell?"

The room was a wreck. Kaiba was sitting in the corner with his head on his knees and was muttering to himself.

"Kaiba, what happened in here?" Alyssa questioned, taking a step closer.

A notebook came flying at her leg. She jumped back instinctively and glared at Kaiba. His head hadn't moved, but now his hand was searching along the ground for anything that he could throw at her. She sighed and knew that he was doing this because he had had no alcohol that day.

"Kaiba, stop acting stupid." Alyssa ordered, taking another step closer to him and dodging a letter opener.

"Leave me _alone_…" Kaiba hissed, looking at her with one eye.

"Seto, you're acting like a stupid little brat." Alyssa stated, dodging a coffee mug and some pens. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Someone stole my booze…" Kaiba whispered. "All of it besides that no good champagne…" He looked at her with both eyes now. "You did it, didn't you?"

Alyssa crossed her arms and crouched down in front of him. "I did nothing of the sort," she lied, making sure to make her tell tale signs of deceit invisible to even him.

Kaiba was obviously convinced or was so messed up that he couldn't tell that she was really lying to his face. "Someone took it all…who would do that to me…I need it…"

"Kaiba, you don't need alcohol…or sex, for that matter, right now…" Alyssa whispered, placing a hand on his knee. "You need help…which is something I can't give. Support is the only thing I can give you right now."

"I don't need help. I don't need support. I WANT MY BOOZE!" Kaiba shouted, slapping her across her face with so much force that he knocked her back onto her ass. "I want it, and I plan to get it somehow!"

"Kaiba, please…don't go get drunk." Alyssa begged, getting onto her knees. "It will hurt you and your family in the long run. It will hurt your career possibly…"

"I don't care." Kaiba stated, getting to his feet. "I want my booze and I will get it." He smirked. "Just like I'll get other things…"

Alyssa watched him leave his office with a frown on her face. _So much for being a changed man, _she thought bitterly, picking herself off the floor. _Now he's going to make things a lot worse for me, and possibly Mokuba. The poor kid…_

XXXXXXXXXXX

When Alyssa had told Mokuba about the things she had done to remove the alcohol from the KC building, he was shocked that she had had the guts to do something like that. He was even more shocked when she told him that even though Kaiba was acting horribly to anyone who tried to keep him from drinking, she was still planning on doing the same thing to his mansion.

"You don't have to help me do this, and I'll understand if you don't." Alyssa said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing all the alcoholic drinks she could find. She popped the lids off of them and started pouring them down the sink. "He is your brother, after all."

"But I don't want him to be this way." Mokuba said, placing glasses in the box that Alyssa had procured. "He's so…weird. And I heard you two screaming yesterday."

Alyssa paled. "You don't know what it was about, do you?"

"No…he must have done something wrong though because he was all mopey after you left."

Alyssa nodded. "Let's just say that you really don't want to know what happened last night and we probably will never tell you, no matter how many times you ask."

"He canceled the festival trip." Mokuba said, following her into Kaiba's home office in search of more alcohol.

"It's not your fault, Mokuba." Alyssa mumbled. "It's mine because I am doing these things to make life better for you and him. Things always get worse before they get better, but hopefully things don't get too bad here." She smirked. "And I can take you to the festival on Saturday if you want me to. It will just be you and me and we can stay out as late as we want. Which means we have to be home an hour before your bed time."

"Cool." Mokuba said. "And he's got a stash hidden on the 3rd shelf, 15 up, 5 to the left."

Alyssa counted the distance and found three more sherry bottles. "This could take awhile." she muttered.

Between the two, they had found all of the alcohol stashes in the Kaiba mansion and had properly disposed of the liquid. The glasses were safely tucked away in a pouch on Soul Tiger's back. Mokuba had helped her enforce a rule that if any of the maids saw Kaiba sneak a stash somewhere that they were to get it as soon as he was gone and dispose of it properly. All of them agreed before walking out to go home for the night.

Alyssa and Mokuba started dancing near the fire as they listened to music a half an hour after that. They looked up when the music stopped and saw that Kaiba was standing there, holding the radio remote. Alyssa took a step in front of Mokuba.

"Why'd you turn the music off, Seto?" she asked.

"It was giving me a headache." Kaiba stated simply, putting the remote down next to the dozen other ones. "Like you are."

"I think you're confusing headaches caused by loud noises and people with the headaches caused by hangovers, drunks, and alcohol withdraws." Alyssa shot back. "But I bet yours is caused by the hangover."

"And since when do you care?" Kaiba questioned in an icy tone.

Alyssa marched over to him and poked him hard in the chest. "I have _always _cared, Kaiba, but you have never truly grasped that, thanks to all that shit you put yourself through and into you." She glanced over her shoulder at Mokuba. "I'll see you tomorrow." She started walking away.

"What's tomorrow?" Kaiba asked in a more subdued tone of voice.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am taking him to the festival while it's still in town." Alyssa stated.

Kaiba looked at his little brother. "Go with her tonight."

"What?" Mokuba asked, confused.

"Go spend the night with her." Kaiba ordered.

Mokuba looked at Alyssa. "Is that alright?"

Alyssa nodded slowly. Mokuba ran off in the direction of his room with a small smile on his face. Alyssa glanced at Kaiba's back again and sighed.

_He is very strange…_

_**Yes, he is.**_

A look of alarm flashed on Alyssa's face. _Who are you?_

_**You of course.**_

_Good or evil?_

_**Good. Well, better than that person who was trying to kill me and you.**_

_Thank the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses._

_**Praise Ra, the first Egyptian God I created.**_

_Okay. Now you're freaking me out, so shut up._

_**Fine.**_

Alyssa heard Mokuba running towards her and attempted to put a smile on her face for him. She opened the door for him and heard him exclaim in wonder at the sight of Soul Tiger. Once again, Alyssa found herself looking at Kaiba, and this time she was shocked to find that he was looking at her with what looked like remorse in his eyes.

"I will see you tomorrow when I bring him home." Alyssa stated, backing towards the open door.

"What time will you be at your house?" Kaiba asked.

Alyssa thought about it for a second. "The fair closes at around two, so probably two thirty," she said.

Kaiba nodded and watched her leave. Alyssa helped his little brother onto the back of Soul Tiger before getting on herself and instructing him to put his arms around her waist.

"Bye, Seto!" Mokuba called as Soul Tiger started running away.

Kaiba didn't wave or smile as he closed the door. He looked into space as he leaned against the closed door and thought about all that Alyssa had done for him and what he was about to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: What do you think of Alyssa's plan? What do you think is up with Kaiba? (Dreamer of a Thousand Memories, I forbid you from giving anyone clues because that's my job.) Let's just say that the roller coaster of fun and drama has begun to reach another peak and a dip is bound to follow. Review and stay tuned!_


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: Quick update for you. Thanks to the person who reviewed. Here we go with the story!_

XXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Pegasus was overjoyed when Alyssa told him that Mokuba would be spending the night with them. He was so happy that he had two sleeping bags put in the living room and some blankets and a pillow placed on one of the couches.

"We can have one big sleep over!" Pegasus exclaimed happily. "Now I think that Angel should get the couch because she is a lady."

Alyssa sighed as she tugged at the end of her over large t-shirt. "Uncle, you get the couch because you are the oldest here and you really shouldn't be sleeping on the floor."

Pegasus thought about that for a minute. "Very well, if that is what you want, Angel dear."

Alyssa nodded slowly and sat on her sleeping bag. "So, what kind of movie should we watch?" she asked. "And no cartoons," she added, glancing at her uncle.

"Horror." Mokuba said, fidgeting his legs in his sleeping bag.

Alyssa smiled slightly and looked through the DVDs she was sitting next to. She selected the scariest one she could find (insert whatever movie you think is the scariest) and put it on for him.

They had hardly watched thirty minutes of it before Pegasus grabbed his Mr. Whiskers rabbit doll and hid under his blankets. Alyssa and Mokuba snickered and continued eating the popcorn and watching the movie. By the credits, Mokuba was snuggled into his sleeping bag at Alyssa's side and she turned the DVD player and the plasma TV off. She sighed and rested her chin on her knees.

_Kaiba…he looked so…sad when we left him. I haven't seen him that sad in a long time…I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…_

_**Knowing him like you do, he will.**_

_Are you back again?_

_**I was never gone.**_

_Right…_

_**So do you still love him?**_

_No._

_**Liar. If you didn't love him, you wouldn't be trying so hard to make him better.**_

_Then you could say that I love Mokuba because I'm making his life better or that I love Tristan because I helped him turn his life around._

_**Mokuba is too young for you. Tristan is your best friend and has eyes only for Serenity. Weren't you paying attention to the history lesson Ishizu gave the others that you overheard via spy?**_

_Not really…Oh shit! I forgot to apologize to Marik for trying to bring him back to the dark side… I didn't even have cookies on the dark side!_

_**You are strange.**_

_I'm you._

_**Stop changing the subject and getting me off subject! Do you love Kaiba or not?**_

_Not enough to make this work at the moment._

_**But why?**_

_Listen, whoever you are, I don't want to talk about this right now. I'll tell you about it later or whenever I feel like it… Just leave me alone for now about that._

_**But…**_

_Goodnight._

With that, Alyssa snuggled into her sleeping bag and fell into a fitful sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shouts of festival goers and the music from various bands drowned out the sounds of the callers of the festival games. Alyssa sighed as she carried four things of cotton candy towards the small roller coaster that Mokuba had gone on with Joey, Tristan, and Duke. The boys were laughing as they walked out of the exit and Tristan was ruffling Mokuba's hair playfully.

"So, how was it?" she asked, handing the cotton candy over to them.

"Well, it lacked loop-de-loops." Duke said.

"And the seats were cramped." Tristan added.

"And it was _way _too slow." Joey stated.

"And the thing could have fallen apart at any second." Mokuba said.

"So?" Alyssa asked.

"It was alright," the boys said together.

Alyssa rolled her eyes and walked over to one of the game booths. It was a hard ring toss where the glass bottles moved from side to side and back and forth. Tristan had slapped down some money and tried it himself earlier and hadn't made enough shots to earn him a prize. Alyssa put down a ten and got three rings.

"Alyssa, it's impossible to get that thing." Tristan said, mouth full of blue cotton candy.

Alyssa ignored him and tossed the first ring and it slid down the neck of a green bottle. She tossed the other two and they slid down the necks of the two brown bottles in the back. She chose to get a large dog for Mokuba and made Tristan carry it because it was so large.

"Why a dog?" Duke asked, walking next to her as they headed for the next booth.

"Because he's lived with a dog for so long that he might as well have one of his own, even if it's not exactly real." Alyssa stated.

"It looks kind of like Silver Fang." Joey commented, poking the large dog. "You know, the Duel Monster."

"Uh…Alyssa, I think it's going to rain." Mokuba whispered, pointing at the sky.

Alyssa looked up and saw that the sky was turning a murky gray. _So much for our fun time_, she thought, crossing her arms huffily. _Oh well, this is what I get for not watching the news in the morning. Or at all._

"So, I guess that you guys are going home," Joey muttered, stuffing the rest of his cotton candy into his mouth.

"Yeah, I still have to get him home and make sure that KC hasn't emailed me anything important. I'll see you guys later." Alyssa mumbled, taking the 'Silver Fang' from Tristan and leading Mokuba away.

She had barely made it to the parking lot before Performance of the Sword showed up. She looked really serious.

"What's going on?" Alyssa asked, looking up at the Duel Monster.

Performance of the Sword reached down and handed Alyssa a note, taking the 'Silver Fang' so that Alyssa could use both hands. It was from Kaiba.

_Alyssa, I'm sorry for everything…I meant none of the bad things, but I guess you count everything you've ever done with me out of high school as bad things. I'm sorry that I was never the man that you knew as a child and thought that I was destined to be. I've let so many people down and I'm sorry for it all._

_When I sent those girls flowers and notes and canceled all my porno channels, I was doing it because of you. I know you were the one who was getting rid of all my alcohol in an attempt to make me better. Those pep talks didn't sink in until it was too late. I came to save you because I did care…I still do. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when you woke up, would you hate me or not, so I left and didn't want to see you for awhile so I could regain my nerve._

_I'm sorry that I was the one who destroyed the trust you and your loser friends had by making you break your promise. The one about me never getting in your pants. I wasn't worthy of doing that even if we both were drunk and when I knew that you didn't want me to…_

_No words can describe my apologies and make everything better, so I am doing something to make sure no one else gets hurt. I will never see you again, Alyssa, or my brother, so tell him that I said goodbye. He'll make an excellent CEO of KC with your help, which I hope you'll give him. So, as of two o'clock, goodbye forever. –Kaiba_

"THAT BASTARD!" Alyssa exclaimed, crumpling up the note.

"Alyssa, its five after two." Performance of the Sword whispered.

Alyssa glanced at her. "I need a portal and I need you to get Mokuba to his house," she said. "I'll bring him his stuff later."

"Alyssa, what is going on?" Mokuba questioned, looking confused.

"Your brother's being stupid again!" Alyssa snapped as the Duel Monster made a portal for Alyssa. "But I'll make sure that he's alright."

She jumped into the portal and tumbled into the office of the famous Seto Kaiba.

XXXXXXXXXX

Carrie started when her cell phone rang. She was sitting on top of Yugi and wasn't going to budge.

"Hello?" she asked, pressing her phone against her ear.

"Carrie, call for an ambulance and send them to the KC building, sixtieth level." Alyssa ordered in one breath.

"Why would I do that?" Carrie questioned.

"Because Kaiba tried to commit suicide!" Alyssa snapped before she went silent.

Carrie heard sounds of air being breathed into nonfunctioning lungs. "Ew…you're giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! Why can't we just let him die?"

"Because I won't let him die!" Alyssa yelled. "Now call 911 or I will kill you!"

The phone went dead in Carrie's ear. She sighed and dialed 911, relaying Alyssa's orders. Yugi watched her with some mild interest in his eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Carrie smiled brightly after hanging up on the 911 operator. "Kaiba's committed suicide," she said in a sing song voice, doing the Cabbage Patch. "Kaiba's committed suicide. Or at least he tried to. He's dead! Rich Boy's dying! Rich Boy's dying!"

"That's not funny Carrie." Yugi said, looking serious.

Carrie sighed. "You're right, but…" She started Cabbage Patching again. "Rich Boy's dying! Rich Boy's dying!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Alyssa had tumbled into the office, the first place she looked was at Kaiba's desk. Kaiba was sitting slumped back in his seat with two gashes on his wrists that were still bleeding slowly. She ran over to him and ripped the sleeves off her shirt, using the strips as makeshift bandages that she tied around his wrists. Kaiba coughed once before going still and Alyssa panicked. She pulled him onto the floor and quickly called her cousin, only pausing once to try to get air into Kaiba's lungs.

"Kaiba, you can't die on me!" Alyssa exclaimed, performing CPR as she heard sirens in the far distance. "You just can't."

She breathed into his mouth again and waited five seconds before doing it once more. Then she proceeded to pump his lungs for ten counts. She pressed her ear against his chest and heard his heart give a weak beat, then another. She smiled a small smile.

"Yes…live…just live…" she whispered, trying to get his heart going stronger, but knowing that with as much blood as he had lost that she was lucky to get a heart beat at all.

She looked up when she heard sirens below them.

"Alyssa…" someone breathed.

Alyssa looked down at Kaiba again and saw that he was looking at her from under his eye lashes. She felt tears come to her eyes as she looked at his bloodless face that reminded her off a corpse.

"Yeah Seto, it's me," she whispered, taking one of his hands gently in hers. "You're with me…"

"You…shouldn't have…save…saved me." Kaiba whispered, struggling to talk. "I should… be de…dead…"

"No. You're supposed to be alive." Alyssa said, shaking her head. "You have a brother that loves you and you have friends…"

"No friends…too mean…too busy…for…friends."

Alyssa gave him a watery smile as a tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm your friend forever, Seto," she stated. More tears followed. "And I will always be your friend even if no one else will be. But you can't die on me…you just can't…"

Kaiba reached one hand towards her face and wiped away one tear with the back of his hand. Alyssa turned her face away and tried to compose herself. The hand fell away from her face and landed lightly on Kaiba's chest. By that time, the paramedics ran through the doors and moved swiftly over to them. One of them hounded her with questions as the other two got an oxygen mask on Kaiba and put him on a stretcher. She didn't know what to do, but she answered the questions the best she could and followed the paramedics into the elevator where they worked to keep Kaiba alive until they made it to the lobby.

_Please, Ra or whatever God or Goddess is true, please let Kaiba live, _she prayed silently, looking up at the murky sky.

XXXXXXXXX

"Alyssa, we have to go now."

"No."

"Mr. Pegasus ordered me to bring you home."

"Don't touch me!"

"Alyssa…"

"Save it, Croquet. I want to stay here and God damn it, I will!" Alyssa snapped. "I'm not leaving until I feel like it and if Pegasus can't understand that, he can kiss my ass!"

"Alyssa…" Croquet began.

"Just save it, Croquet. I don't care what you're orders are or what is done for my own good…just leave me alone with him." Alyssa ordered, glaring at him from her seat near the door.

Croquet gave up and left the room. Alyssa looked back at Kaiba, who was asleep in the hospital bed across from her. IVs were stuck in his arms, but he was strong enough to breath without an oxygen mask. He had woken up briefly in the ER and had tried to strangle the nurses that were sewing up the cuts on his wrists, so they had put a sedative in him. They didn't quite know when he was going to wake up or they just weren't going to tell Alyssa yet.

Alyssa sighed and looked at the ceiling. "God Seto, don't you ever put me through this kind of thing again," she whispered. "My heart can't take this…I can't take this. You know that I love you more than a friend, but still you do this to me…just wake up and let us go on with our normal lives. No matter how bad they seem, I prefer them to this."

The machines around Kaiba beeped and Alyssa knew that he wasn't going to respond. She got up and walked out of the room, looking for the coffee machine. She had been there for six hours and had not slept or answered her phone when a number of her friends had called. She wouldn't even pick up on Mokuba. If they wanted her like her uncle did, they would have to find her in the hospital.

_Decaf icky…black too black…one part coffee, two part sugar good…_Alyssa thought, making herself some of her own concoction.

"Are you Alyssa Pegasus?" someone asked.

Alyssa turned to see a nice looking doctor looking at her inquiringly. She nodded slowly and sipped her scalding hot coffee.

"You came in with Mr. Kaiba, right?" he asked.

"Yes. And you are?" Alyssa questioned.

"Oh, Doctor Hibachi," the doctor said, offering a hand.

Alyssa shook his hand before letting her hand drop back to her side. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, you answered all the important questions when the paramedics asked you them, but I'm still a little puzzled at how you knew exactly what to do and what Kaiba had done."

Alyssa sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I took several classes in saving lives before I became a full employee under Mr. Kaiba. I thought I'd need them seeing as I was working in a disaster zone and was going to be Mokuba's, Kaiba's little brother, babysitter." She looked at him. "As for me knowing what Kaiba had done, he'd sent me a suicide note that I'd rather not show you, seeing as it has some personal things in it."

"I understand." Dr. Hibachi stated, tapping his clipboard against his thigh.

"So, how soon should I expect to get him back?" Alyssa asked. "Because the nurses and the other doctors aren't telling me anything…"

"Well, we don't know exactly. We do know that Mr. Kaiba is now out of his sedative induced sleep and is going through a normal exhaustion induced sleep. During this time, his body will try to make up for the damage done to his body and get him functioning almost normally." Dr. Hibachi informed her. "And when he comes back to our physical world, we'll have to keep him for another overnight stay and then we'll have to suggest that he sees a psychiatrist to help him get better mentally."

"And what can I do?" Alyssa asked, sipping her coffee again.

"Well, you can help make his brother understand that Kaiba can't do much strenuous work or play around that much as brothers like doing. Kaiba needs to take things easy for awhile, so when he gets out, I would prefer that he did not work until his psychiatrist clears him and his wounds are half way healed."

"That won't be easy to do. I don't even think that he will see a psychiatrist."

"Well, seeing as you are probably the only one besides his brother that knows him on a more personal level, maybe he'll talk to you and you can help him out. And as his assistant, you can help make his job a little easier on him, I'm sure."

Alyssa nodded slowly and looked into the room now, seeing Kaiba still in the same position as he had been when she had left him. Dr. Hibachi looked at her with sympathy in his eyes.

"I'll try to return him to you the way he was before this tragic accident, but you can not help him by being here and letting yourself go," he whispered. "I'll drop in on him every once in a while."

Alyssa nodded and walked into the hospital room again. She walked over Kaiba's bedside and set her coffee down on the nightstand.

"You better get better," she whispered, placing a hand on one of his.

She glanced at the doctor using her peripheral vision and saw that he wasn't really looking at her anymore. She leaned down and pressed her lips to Kaiba's gently, a soft golden light illuminating her eyes and pulsating on the eye of Ra on her shoulder. She pulled away from him and grabbed her coffee.

"I will see you later, Doc," Alyssa said, walking past him. "And I better be the first person you call when Kaiba wakes up."

"You will be." Dr. Hibachi promised.

The golden light in Alyssa's eyes blinked out and the eye of Ra on her shoulder returned to its normal state.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: So, now you know what Kaiba did. Frankly, I thought he was rather stupid in doing that, but that's the way the cookie crumbled. Review me please!_


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N:Woohoo! Another bunch of reviews have come my way! You rock guys!_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

"He's still here," Alyssa whispered, hurrying up the stairs in the hotel where the Ishtars stayed. "Please let him still be here."

She found the door to the suite they were supposed to be staying in and knocked as she got her breath back. She heard movement behind the door and sighed. They _were _still here. Ishizu opened the door. Alyssa took one look at her and threw her arms around the older woman.

"Uh…Alyssa…what are you doing?" Ishizu asked, shocked at the unexpected sign of affection.

"I'm sorry I tried to turn your brother evil and destroy your family!" Alyssa exclaimed, releasing her. "But I didn't mean any of it!"

"I know you didn't." Ishizu said. "You were being controlled by your evil side and thank Ra that it is now in its rightful place. The Shadow Realm."

Alyssa nodded and looked past her. She saw that the family's luggage was piled in the living room. "You guys leaving?"

"Tomorrow we go back to Egypt to see what else is in your incarnation's tomb." Ishizu stated.

"Yes, please be careful with the sarcophagus," Alyssa whispered, staring at something past Ishizu with unfocused eyes. "I don't want some buffoon breaking it open and destroying my body."

"Priestess Neko?" Ishizu asked, staring at her wide eyed.

Alyssa seemed to snap out of a trance. "What?"

"Nothing. Perhaps you would like to say goodbye to Odion and Marik?" Ishizu asked, moving aside to let Alyssa pass.

Odion was walking into the room and stopped when he saw Alyssa. A smile crept onto Alyssa's face as she bounded happily over to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for helping me!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "Without you, I might have killed so many more people! Thank you, Odion!"

Odion gave her a small smile and returned the hug. Alyssa looked around them, not releasing Odion's neck.

"Where's Marik?" she asked.

Ishizu rolled her eyes. "He's still in bed."

Alyssa smirked and trotted off in the direction that Odion was pointing. She poked her head into Marik's room and saw that he was stretched out on his back, fast asleep. She crept slowly over to the side of the bed and smiled slightly. He was so cute when he was asleep. She watched his chest rise and fall in slow, even breaths for a few moments before pouncing on him.

"WAKE UP MARIK!" she shouted, sitting on his stomach.

Marik let out a strangled yell as he woke up abruptly and saw that someone was sitting on him.

"Alyssa, what are you doing here?" he asked, taking calming breaths now that she had his heart pumping a mile a minute.

"I came to apologize, Marik, and I just knew that I couldn't do that when you were sound asleep. Although, you are very cute when you're asleep." Alyssa informed him.

"What about when I'm awake?" Marik wanted to know.

"You're cute then too, but that's not the point." Alyssa said. "I came to apologize for me trying to bring you back to the evil side. I really shouldn't have done that or allowed someone to use my body to make you evil again. That was really bad of me and I'm sorry."

"I was never mad at you." Marik informed her.

"Really?" Alyssa asked.

"Really." Marik said, smiling as he propped his head up on his hand. "I mean, you are a friend of mine and I knew that the real you would never do anything like that."

Alyssa nodded slowly and traced the faint outline of his muscled chest through his shirt with a finger. She saw how he shivered slightly in pleasure when she did that, so she stopped for a moment.

"Well, it's good to know that you still like me." Alyssa said, stretching slightly. "And I will miss you when you leave."

"I can always come back for visits and you can visit me in Egypt." Marik pointed out.

Alyssa nodded again. "But Marik, we can only meet as friends. Nothing can happen between us."

Marik pouted but nodded. "I can understand that, I guess. Your heart belongs to another, but if he hurts you, I will hurt him a hundred times worse."

"That's right." Alyssa said, getting off of him. "Now I have to go because this was only supposed to be a short visit. Goodbye, Marik."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked into her uncle's mansion slowly and was instantly pounced on by Jessica, Mokuba, Carrie, and Joey. She fell to the ground as a result of that, bringing them with her.

"Where have you been?" Jessica asked.

"Is Seto alright?" Mokuba questioned.

"Is Rich Boy dead?" Carrie and Joey inquired.

"Get off of me and maybe I'll be able to answer your questions." Alyssa muttered, looking at the other members of the gang, who were watching with blank faces.

The four tacklers quickly released her and got to their feet. Tristan offered her a hand up.

"Okay, answer the questions." Carrie ordered.

"I was at the hospital and made a brief stop at a hotel to talk to someone before I came here." Alyssa said in a monotonous voice. "Kaiba is alright. And if he's alright that means that the doctors did not cut him open, remove his organs, mutilate or kill him in any way."

Jessica looked pleased with her answer. Mokuba looked extremely happy that his older brother was alright. Joey and Carrie looked upset that Kaiba hadn't died or been mutilated. Tea, Yugi, and Tristan smiled slightly.

"Is that all?" Alyssa asked. "No questions about the details or how I found Kaiba?"

"Ooh…Why didn't you let him die?" Carrie asked.

"Because I'm not that kind of person, Carrie Alyson West." Alyssa announced, crossing her arms. "And Kaiba is also one of my best friends."

"I thought you could only have one best friend." Joey said, looking confused.

"You can have more than one best friend." Tea stated, trying to act really smart in case Yami was listening. "You just can't have more than one best-best friend."

"So, who's your best-best friend?" Joey questioned.

Alyssa smirked and rested her elbow awkwardly on Tristan's shoulder. "Who do you think, Einstein?"  
"Uh…Yugi…" Joey said.

"Not really." Alyssa stated, letting Carrie bonk Joey on the head. "More like Tristan is my best-best friend and Yugi is tied for third with someone else."

"Me! Me! Me-me-me!" Carrie shouted, bouncing up and down.

"No. Joey."

"Then who's second?" Tea asked.

"Well, that's a tie between Kathy and the Pharaoh." She looked at them. "And how did we get on this subject?"

"Joey started it." Jessica said, pointing at the said blond.

"HEY!"

"Okay, we're getting off the subject now." Alyssa informed them.

Apparently Joey, Jessica, Carrie, and Tristan didn't hear that because they started arguing and ended up wrestling in a big pile on the floor. Alyssa sweat dropped and leaned against the same wall as Mokuba, Yugi, and Tea.

"So, anyone want to bet who'll win?" she asked.

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa moaned as she heard her phone ring unpleasantly close to her ear later that night. She was tempted to pick it up and throw it across the room for disturbing her much needed sleep, but she didn't.

"Hello?"

"Alyssa, its Dr. Hibachi," the caller said.

"What is it, Doc?" she asked in a drowsy way as she settled herself back against her pillows.

"Kaiba's gone." Dr. Hibachi said.

"Gone?" Alyssa asked, bolting upright in her bed.

"Yes, gone."

"As in gone from this Earth gone?"

"No. He's not dead. A nurse went in to see if he was awake yet and found that his bed was empty and that the clothes you had left for him were gone."

"So, what should I do?"

"Well, do you know any place that Mr. Kaiba would go to at a time like this?"

"No, but I can look for him."

"Well, if you find him, call me and try to convince him to either go home or come back here."

"Alright." Alyssa said, hanging up on him. "Stupid Kaiba. Stupid, stupid Kaiba."

She threw her legs over the side of her bed and shivered as the cold air attacked her bare legs. She shrugged away the feeling and pushed herself off the bed and in the direction of her bathroom.

She flipped on the light and looked at herself in the mirror. The hickey on her neck was still there, though almost gone by now and she sighed.

_If I were Kaiba, where would I go besides his mansion and the KC building? _Alyssa thought, tapping her fingers on the side of the sink. _Somewhere with alcohol…no, not after what he did. Then where…_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked around the park and sighed as she looked at the swings. They were vacant and swinging gently in the night breeze. It seemed like everywhere she went, no one was there and there were no creatures that usually roamed the city at night. It made her feel strange and somewhat scared. She wasn't used to the city being so quiet and empty.

_I don't know what's going on anymore…_she thought, walking over to the swings. _Kaiba's gotten rid of his porn, saved me, and tried to kill himself and I have no clue where he's gone now. I don't even know if I should look anymore. I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm cold. I want to go home and go to bed._

_**Don't you want to find Kaiba?**_

_No, because he obviously doesn't want to be found, so why bother?_

_**You love him and want to make sure that he's alright.**_

_But he's vanished, completely. I have no chance of finding him in the dark city and had hardly a chance of finding him anyway. I might as well go to his house and wait all night for him and I would be far better off._

_**I'm sure little Kaiba could use the company.**_

_Mokuba…I completely forgot about him alone in that big mansion._

_**He does have body guards.**_

_But he hates them…I guess I should go over there and see if Kaiba's there. If not, I could wait there until morning…_

_**I think that would be best. And you wouldn't get a cold that way.**_

_Now you're sounding more like my mother._

_**I wouldn't know about that. I only had three different mothers in my time. I didn't bother learning from yours.**_

_Thanks. I'm sure she'd appreciate that._

Alyssa started walking in the direction of Kaiba's mansion and felt the cold start piercing into her bones. She had forgotten to bring Soul Tiger with her, so she couldn't use him to get herself a lift. She did have enough money to hail a late cab and she would welcome any transportation that had some kind of warmth. So, she hailed a cab and was on her way with the grumbling driver who smelled of cigars and stale alcohol.

XXXXXXXXXX

After talking to one of the guards, Alyssa was allowed to enter the Kaiba mansion, shivering. The taxi's heater hadn't been working, so it was no better than walking outside. She sighed and looked around the dark mansion. Mokuba was still in bed and had not realized that his older brother was no longer in the hospital. He would more than likely call the hospital to check up on his brother when he woke up and would receive the news that his brother had gone somewhere else. And he obviously wasn't home because Alyssa had checked Kaiba's bedroom. It was as empty as the city that night and she didn't feel any better about it.

She told Kiba what Doctor Hibachi had told her about Kaiba's vanishing act and asked him to tell Mokuba that when Mokuba woke up. She also asked him to have Mokuba pack a few outfits and come over to her house because she didn't want him to have to stay in the mansion by himself. Kiba nodded and even had one of the other guards drive her home in a shiny black car that had a working heater. She could hardly make it to her room without collapsing and could not think about what she would have to do tomorrow when she went to work. But she didn't think about that until she woke up three hours later and drove herself to work and had about thirty different people surround her with different reports from thirty different levels of the building.

"Uh…alright…okay…sure…I'll be right on it…" Alyssa mumbled, taking the reports from the people. More people seemed to be surrounding her by the minute.

"ALRIGHT! That does it!" Kathy snapped, forcing her way through the crowd towards Alyssa. "All of you scram! She needs to breathe and she can't do that if you're all hounding her over stupid little matters like not having enough ink cartridges! That can wait! Now all of you go back to your stations and send her the reports by email and she'll get back to you as soon as she can!"

The crowd around Alyssa dispersed rather reluctantly and one woman thought she could get away with handing Alyssa one more report. Kathy tore it from the woman's hands and threatened to shove it down her throat if she didn't leave now.

"Thanks, Kathy," she mumbled, walking towards the elevator.

"Don't mention it…" Kathy said, calling the elevator seeing as Alyssa's hands were full. "So, I heard that Kaiba tried to commit suicide in his office and someone I know saved his sorry ass. Is it true?"

"No, Kaiba's just not here because he's at a spa…" Alyssa said sarcastically, getting in the elevator and hitting the sixtieth floor button with her elbow. "What do you think?"

"I'm thinking that you don't want to know what I think." Kathy admitted, slipping into the elevator.

"Try me." Alyssa muttered, leaning against one of the walls.

"Fine. I'm thinking that you must be really upset if you were the one who saw Kaiba in that state... and I'm kind of wondering why you're here today instead of at the hospital."

Alyssa sighed. "I guess the paparazzi haven't heard the good news yet…" she commented.

"What's happened?" Kathy asked, looking expectant.

"Kaiba's gone."

"Gone as in gone from the Earth gone?"

"No, gone as in he decided to get up and go somewhere else gone." She sighed. "And the bad thing is that I can't find him and I've looked _everywhere_."

"Well, you can't have looked everywhere or you would have found him by now." Kathy pointed out. She got a mad look in her eyes. "And to think that he's left you here to handle all his business when you had a hard enough time being his personal assistant."

"Woohoo…I have two jobs to do at once…lucky me…"

Kathy got a sly smile on her face. "Well, I have an idea…" she said.

"Yeah, so what's new?"

"Well…I could help you out by being your assistant for today because I only take the calls that you send to me and now I can handle them in your office…"

Alyssa thought about it for a moment. "Fine. I just hope that I'll be able to make it through all those meetings that Kaiba had planned…I've never done one on my own because Kaiba never took any sick days or any vacations…"

"You'll be fine." Kathy said, clapping her hand on her friend's shoulder. "But if you don't survive today…can I have your job?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:Yay! One chapter down...On with the next one!_


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Here's the next chapter for those who have so loyally followed the story!_

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Alyssa sighed as she trudged into her uncle's mansion shortly before eight. She was tired, hungry, and her feet were killing her. She kicked her shoes off and started walking absently in the direction of the kitchen, smelling the tantalizing scent of pizza. Suddenly, she was scooped up and crushed in a bone cracking hug.

"Uh, random guess here…due to the strength, smell, and style of clothing…I would have to say hello, Tristan…" she muttered into the guy's chest.

"Hi ya, Aly!" Tristan exclaimed, giving her one final squeeze and causing her to wince at the loudness of his voice. "So, how was your day?"

"Fine…tiresome…but manageable." Alyssa admitted. "Had to answer questions about a school that Kaiba's sponsored that I don't know a thing about…so I guessed…Can you put me down now Tristan? I really can't feel my feet."

Tristan set her back on her feet. "Sorry…and what school is so unlucky to get sponsored by Kaiba?"

"Some school that teaches Dueling mainly…three houses Ra, Obelisk, and Slifer…guess he was tired of coming against mediocre duelists or something…" Alyssa mumbled, walking in the direction of the kitchen and the smell of pizza. "So it's my turn to ask the question. Besides you and Mokuba, who else is here?"

"Well, there's Duke, Yugi, Carrie, Jessica, Joey, and Tea…" Tristan said, smiling slightly. "Your uncle invited us over while he went to do something at Duelist Kingdom…"

Alyssa nodded. She remembered hearing something like that coming from her uncle's mouth earlier that day, but it was part of the blur of that day.

"As long as I get some pizza, everyone can stay…"

She walked into the kitchen and the noise that was coming from it instantly diminished. The gang was looking at her. Some cheese was protruding from Joey's mouth and he looked down at the pizza box that he was devouring pizza out of.

"Piffa?" he mumbled thickly around the pizza slice in his mouth, holding out the box.

Alyssa saw that it was a meat lover's pizza, but pushed away her distaste and grabbed herself a slice. She sat down next to Yugi and started munching away at the end.

"Any luck finding him?" Tea asked, looking across the table at Alyssa.

Alyssa gave her a blank look. "If I had found him, would I look so tired and would Mokuba be here?" she questioned.

Tea looked down. "I was just wondering…" she whispered.

Alyssa sighed. "I'm sorry if I get all snappy with you guys, but I've had long day and have barely had any sleep for the past few days…"

"We understand." Yugi stated. "So that's why we're going to help you by keeping this place a stress free zone."

"We all brought movies." Carrie informed her cousin. "I brought Phantom of the Opera, your favorite."

"But we had to get rid of the movies that Jessica and Duke brought." Tristan informed her. "Duke thought he could get away with bringing an R rated movie that had nothing but violence, bad language, and sexually orientated themes. And Jessica's movie was preschool material…Barney, to be exact."

Alyssa looked over at her youngest cousin, who was blushing bright red. "Barney?"

"Um…yeah…" Jessica said.

"She even has a Barney clock in her room." Carrie announced. "And she's in her teens, for Ra's sake."

Alyssa shook her head and grabbed herself another slice of pizza. "So, can we get the movies started or what?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa glanced around the living room after the last movie and smiled slightly. Everyone was asleep. Tristan moved in his sleep and threw his arm over her feet. She slowly pulled her feet out from under his arm and turned the TV off. She didn't remember how the movie had ended because she had dozed off somewhere near the end.

"Here I was complaining about how I couldn't sleep…and it happened…great…" Alyssa muttered to herself, walking towards the patio. "This sucks…"

She walked over to the railing and leaned heavily against it. _I can't believe that when Kaiba goes missing that I go crazy…_she thought, staring up at the moon. _I mean…he doesn't even truly love me and I've given up on him, so why do I feel like this?_

_He's coming home…_something whispered in her ear.

Alyssa turned but saw no one. A gentle breeze blew against her.

_He's coming home…coming home…home… _it whispered.

"I could care less." Alyssa said, crossing her arms.

She started walking off the patio. "I could really care less." She was at the driveway. "I don't care."

She whistled and Solar Flare Dragon came out of nowhere. She got onto its back and urged it back into the air. It flew in the direction of the Kaiba mansion.

"I really don't care…" she whispered, staring straight ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yugi opened his eyes and saw that the TV was off and that everyone was asleep. Alyssa was no where to be seen though. He felt the urge to sit up but found that Carrie's head was on his chest, preventing him from getting up without waking her up.

_I wonder where Alyssa went…_

_**Where do you think she went?**_

_I don't know…the bathroom maybe._

_**No. She went to where Kaiba is.**_

_So…she's dead?_

_**No! She went to where Kaiba is and it has nothing to do with death. **_

_But why didn't she tell someone?_

_**Maybe she didn't think about that because she felt some unknown force calling her to where ever Kaiba is.**_

_How come you're so smart and I'm not?_

_**Because I'm a thousand years older than you.**_

_But how do you know so much about Alyssa?_

_**I'm not blind.**_

_And your point is?_

_**Anyone could see why Alyssa does what she does if they've watched her long enough. Besides, my ties to her run deep in our blood.**_

_O…okay…_

_**Just go to sleep and wait until tomorrow morning or afternoon…**_

_Fine…_

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa snuggled closer to the pillows and a small frown appeared on her face when she felt someone sit on the opposite side of the bed. The person lay down next to her and brought a gentle hand to her face. The frown on her face vanished instantly and she moved a little closer to the person. Seeming to realize what she was doing even though she had been sleeping; Alyssa slowly opened her eyes to find herself looking into two blue ones. The smile on her face got bigger.

"Kaiba…" she whispered, raising her head from the pillows. "You're back…"

"Mhmm…" Kaiba replied, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm tired…"

"Me too…" Alyssa admitted, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Then feel free to sleep here…" Kaiba muttered. "And if you want…I'll sleep on the couch…"

Kaiba made to get up again, but Alyssa put a hand on his chest and forced him back into his lying position. He looked at her in surprise.

"You're not going anywhere," she said in a quiet, but commanding tone.

Kaiba sighed and readjusted himself on the pillows. "Fine…"

It was Alyssa's turn to sigh. "You had me really worried, Seto."

"I'm sorry…" Kaiba muttered.

"And you had your brother worried, too."

"Sorry…"

"Can you say anything besides 'sorry'?" Alyssa questioned, crossing her arms.

"Yes…"

"You're hopeless," Alyssa hissed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them.

"Why weren't you there?" Kaiba asked.

"What?" Alyssa glanced at him.

"Why weren't you there when I woke up?" Kaiba questioned.

"You didn't want me there." Alyssa whispered.

"Yeah…I did."

Alyssa looked down at him and saw that he was once more looking at her with those blue eyes of his. She sighed and looked away.

"Seto, it would never work between us."

"And why not?"

"Because…because the way you've been acting makes me hate you even more." Alyssa stated. "You leave without calling me or telling someone where you're going. You're always drinking. You're way too busy with your work to give a damn about humanity! And I hate it!"

"Alyssa, I'll change…if you give me a chance."

"Seto, you've run out of free chances with me..."

"Then I promise that I'll be different…if you promise to marry me…"

Alyssa looked shocked and leaped off the bed as she looked at him. "Seto…no…no, no, no, no!" she exclaimed, glaring at him. "After all the hell you've put me through over the last couple of days, how could you…? Seto, you nearly gave me a heart attack when you attempted suicide and then you almost gave me another one when you vanished shortly afterward! I can't marry you because you don't want me to!"

"Why would I be asking if I didn't mean it?" Kaiba asked.

"Because…because…Hell, I don't know, but Seto you don't mean it!" Alyssa cried, walking around the bed in an attempt to head for the door.

Kaiba grabbed one of her hands and made her look at him. "I mean it…"

Alyssa shook her head and refused to meet eyes with Kaiba. "You don't…you're just using this as a way to try to get my forgiveness…it's not going to work…in fact, you made everything worse Seto…you're playing with my heart again because you know that I love you and…" She pulled her arm out of his grip and ran over to the door and tried to open it but her eyes were brimming with tears and she couldn't see the door that well.

"Alyssa…" Kaiba said, getting to his feet.

"Leave me alone, Seto…" Alyssa begged, struggling with the door.

Strong hands turned her away from the door and strong arms held her in a tight embrace. She cried into his chest.

"Angel…" Kaiba whispered, using the old nickname that he had used to use when they were younger. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't mean anything…" Alyssa muttered into his chest. "It's a word that people like you use too many times without meaning."

Kaiba sighed and tilted her face up, so that he could see her face in the moonlight that was flooding his room. He wiped away the tears that were staining her cheeks.

"Angel, I really mean it…"he informed her quietly.

"No…you don't, Kaiba…and you know that I'm not ready…" Alyssa breathed, looking at him with still wet eyes. "You don't mean it and you know that you're doing it in a vain attempt to win back my favor…You can't even say three words to me without real sincerity."

Kaiba lowered his face to hers and brushed his lips lightly against hers. "I'm sorry."

Alyssa sighed and pushed him backwards. She kept pushing him until he fell onto the bed. She sat on his stomach and glared down at him.

"I am staying overnight to make sure that you do not try to kill yourself again, Mr. Kaiba," she stated. "I do not feel like having to work like you do for the rest of my life. Nor do I want to have to answer questions from a school board about further funding for the Dueling Academy you've set up. And I'm not losing one of my best friends either."

Kaiba sighed and smirked. "Fine, but can I at least take my shirt off?"

Alyssa thought about that for a moment before rolling off of him. "Make it fast, Kaiba."

XXXXXXXXXXX

There was a loud shout of 'pillow fight' shortly after dawn and a pillow came crashing down on Yugi's head. He opened his eyes and saw that Carrie was the one holding the pillow over his head. Tristan and the others were already mixed up in their own pillow war. Alyssa was still gone but no one seemed to notice that except for him. He knew her absence wouldn't remain unnoticed for much longer though.

Tristan looked around the room as he blocked an attack from Joey. "Hey! Where's Aly?" he asked.

Carrie looked over at Alyssa's sleeping bag and sighed. "She's doing it again."

"Doing what again?" Tea asked.

"She's either sleep-walking again or went somewhere to buy food because she can't cook worth a damn." Carrie stated matter-of-factly.

"I thought that was you." Joey said.

A nerve throbbed in Carrie's forehead before she brought her pillow down on Joey's blonde head. "NOT TRUE!"

"Very true."

Everyone looked up to see Alyssa standing in the doorway. She glanced at them and held out a large bag full of breakfast food.

"I decided to get you guys some food so that you wouldn't kill the cook or wouldn't get food poisoning from eating whatever Carrie made," she announced.

Joey, Duke, and Tristan all pounced on the food bag and Tristan, being the tallest and strongest, got it and ran off in the direction of the kitchen. Jessica and Tea walked after them, muttering about how weird the boys were. Mokuba, Carrie, and Yugi remained where they were. Alyssa continued looking out the door like she was waiting for someone to enter.

"Did you find him?" Yugi asked, watching her with his large purple eyes.

Alyssa shook her head slowly. "I didn't find him…" she whispered. "He found me."

Kaiba stood next to her and looked over at the other three people in the room. His eyes were as cold as ever and his mouth was set in the normal straight line.

"Seto!" Mokuba shouted, running over to his brother.

"Oh rats!" Carrie exclaimed, stomping her foot. "He didn't get eaten by rabid bears like I hoped he would…"

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:That's right. Kaiba didn't get eaten by rabid bears...what a shame too seeing as that would have made the story much more interesting...Ah well...Please review!_


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: Very late update…Hope you enjoy it anyway!_

XXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

After Alyssa had beaten Carrie silly for making that mean statement and the others had found out that Kaiba was back, they all went into the kitchen to eat some breakfast. Alyssa and Mokuba separated Kaiba from the rest of the gang and he kept quiet about being in the same room with so many members of Yugi's gang, for Alyssa's sake.

"So, where the hell did you go, Kaiba boy?" Carrie asked, devouring her hash brown. "Because I know for a fact that you weren't at your office and you obviously aren't in a woods getting mauled by rabid bears…"

Kaiba looked at her like she was the stupidest person he had ever laid eyes on. "I was somewhere far away from you and your loser friends," he said.

Alyssa sighed and continued eating her fruit salad. "All I know is that he returned to his mansion last night and well, now we're here."

"Now I have a question." Duke said.

There was a collective groan from the group.

"Did you two do it again?" he asked.

Alyssa and Kaiba exchanged looks. Alyssa looked at Duke. "We did nothing but talk and sleep last night," she informed him.

"Sure…" Duke muttered, picking at his scrambled eggs.

"Carrie, help me out here. I'm too far away to do anything."

Carrie smirked and bonked Duke on the head. He slipped from his chair and landed on the ground, eyes just swirls and a large bump growing on his head.

One of Kaiba's hands went onto Alyssa's thigh as she stretched on the counter that she was sitting on. Yugi didn't miss the action and noticed that Alyssa didn't remove it for a moment before realizing that he was watching her. She pushed Kaiba's hand off of her thigh and grabbed her coffee.

"When was someone going to tell me that you're all here planning a wedding for my niece?" Pegasus asked.

The group all looked over to see him standing in one of the kitchen doorways with Croquet standing off to the side. A bright smile was on Pegasus' face.

"Which niece?" Jessica asked. "There's me, Carrie, and Alyssa."

"Why, Alyssa, of course." Pegasus said. "She is the one that Kaiba boy wants, right?"

"No!" both Alyssa and Kaiba exclaimed, looking shocked.

"But then why are you here, Kaiba boy?" Pegasus questioned, looking slightly put out.

"I'm here to collect my brother." Kaiba said, standing up. "C'mon Mokuba."

Mokuba got up and followed Kaiba towards the opposite doorway. Alyssa hopped off the counter.

"I'll walk you guys out," she announced, following them.

Pegasus watched the threesome disappear before looking back at the Yugi gang. "So tell me, is something going on between them?"

Almost everyone said no. Duke said yes and got bonked on the head again by Carrie and Jessica. Yugi kept his mouth firmly closed. He wasn't exactly sure if something was going on between Kaiba and Alyssa or not, so he wasn't going to make any brash comments about it all.

Pegasus sighed. "I guess that I'll never know until she tells me the whole truth…oh well…CARTOON TIME!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked into the KC building and was relieved to find that thirty different people didn't rush at her. She sighed and walked over to where Kathy was sitting, taking the earliest phone calls and making notes on her computer about them or switching them over to other departments of KC. Kathy held up a hand and listened carefully to the person on the phone.

"I can't understand what you're trying to say…" she said, smirking. "No…please talk in English, not British…" She laughed. "I love you, too, Bakura, bye." She hung up quickly.

"So that was your man?" Alyssa asked.

"Yep." Kathy said. "He hasn't talked to me in months and I couldn't pass up a chance to get him a little bit mad."

_Be careful about how mad you get him, _Alyssa thought. _I know what's hidden in his Millennium Ring and I really don't want you to have to face the brunt of his anger._

She shook her head. "So is Kaiba already here or what?"

"Oh yeah and he told me to tell you that he wants to see you immediately after you come in." Kathy informed her. "So you better get a move on."

Alyssa nodded and headed over to the stairs, seeing as there was a long line to the elevators. She started up the stairs, wondering what Kaiba wanted her so badly for.

Before she knew it, she was up on the sixtieth level and almost passed her desk before she realized that she had to stow away her purse. She tucked her purse safely under her desk and heard a kittenish Soul Tiger mew at her. She ignored this and looked in her little mirror to see how she looked after riding on Soul Tiger's back all the way to work. She only had to smooth down her hair a bit and she was satisfied.

She walked calmly over to Kaiba's office and let the doors slide open. She walked in and couldn't help remembering walking in the day before to the harsh smell of bleach and the feeling of being utterly lonely and out of place. Luckily, the bleach smell was gone today and she wasn't feeling lonely or out of place because the real CEO was sitting behind his desk, already absorbed in some paperwork.

"You wanted to see me, Seto." Alyssa muttered, making her presence known as she walked towards his desk.

"Yes. We're having a gala in two days and I need you to take Kathy shopping for things that we'll need and get you two some dresses." Kaiba informed her. "Take a company card and do the buying."

Alyssa nodded and took the card that he held out to her. She was on her way back out of the office when Kaiba called her name again.

"Yes, Seto?" she asked, turning to look at him once more.

"Get a nice dress for yourself that's not red or black." Kaiba ordered.

Alyssa sighed. "Very well."

She walked out of his office and over to her desk and rang for Kathy.

"Hello, lowly secretaries are us, how may I help you?" Kathy asked over speakerphone.

"Kathy, give your phone to someone else," Alyssa ordered. "We're going shopping for the gala in two days. And you get to buy a dress with me."

"YES!" Kathy shouted and Alyssa thought she heard Kathy's chair fall to the ground. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get down here and let's go shopping!"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and hung up. She grabbed her purse and hurried over to the elevator. _This is probably going to make me wish that I was still stuck with answering the questions of the Dueling Academy school board, _she thought, pressing the lobby button.

XXXXXXXX

Alyssa groaned as she looked at another dress that was in her size. It seemed like all the dresses that were in her size in this department store were all horrendously bright colored or were way too slutty for a gala. Kathy had found several that she wanted to try on and had left Alyssa to look for one herself.

_This sucks, _Alyssa thought, putting the horrendous yellow dress back on the rack. _If I can't wear red or black, then I don't have many options. _

She walked over to another rack of what seemed to be dark blue and silver, almost white dresses. She peered through them and picked three off the rack. _Might as well try something on or Kaiba will have my head, _Alyssa thought walking towards the dressing rooms.

Kathy was exiting the stall that she had been in, sporting a light blue dress that clung to her slim form. She smiled as she looked at Alyssa.

"I think I'll take this one," she declared. "I'll just have to find matching shoes."

Alyssa nodded. "It looks nice," she muttered before walking into a stall for herself.

The first dress, a dark blue one, was way too showy in the chest area and Alyssa quickly tore it off herself and put it aside. The second dress was a silver and blue dress, but it hung too loosely on her and nearly slid off her, leading her to believe that the marked size was not correct. She looked at the third dress and slipped it on. She sighed as she looked in the mirror at herself. It fit nicely and was not dangerously revealing in the chest area and it hugged her curves before billowing out a little at the skirt. She smirked and decided to buy this silver dress.

_Okay, if I don't get hit by lightning or something for buying a dress, it will be a miracle, _Alyssa thought, putting it back on the hangar after putting her regular clothes back on. _And Kaiba should be happy that I'm buying this thing willingly…I hate dresses, but this one is nice._

She put the failed dresses on a rack and walked out of the dressing rooms, her dress draped over her arm. Kathy had apparently found matching shoes because she was smiling brightly and was skipping over to Alyssa, holding a box and her dress.

"Well, let's pay for this stuff," she said.

"How much is your stuff?" Alyssa questioned, eyeing the things beadily.

"Well the dress is a thousand dollars and the shoes are seventy five dollars." Kathy informed her. "What about your dress?"

"It's fifteen hundred for some damn reason…" Alyssa muttered, heading for the cash register. "These places are so highly overpriced that I'd rather go to Wal-Mart to buy the clothes that I need for parties and the like."

"I know…and I'm the one who makes the least amount of money out of the two of us, Ms. I'm-the-Niece-of-a-Billionaire-and-Personal-Assistant-to-Another-Billionaire." Kathy mumbled, laying her dress on the counter with her shoes after Alyssa had put her dress down.

"Trust me, being the niece of Maximillion Pegasus is not all that it's cracked out to be," Alyssa said, handing the business card over. "I hate living with my uncle, but he needs someone to help him out besides Croquet, and I feel like I should do it because he took care of me when my parents died."

"Okay…but I hope Bakura becomes famous and that I'll marry him when he's a successful millionaire." Kathy said.

"Dream on, Kathy, dream on…" Alyssa muttered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa sighed as she jogged around the park later that night. She hadn't made it back to work as early as she wanted, so she put the stuff away and left for her uncle's mansion. Now she was jogging to help herself think like she sometimes did. It was just something that she had learned from her father.

She remembered her father, Adam, as a fair man that did not look a thing like her except for the eyes. He always jogged when he was troubled about something instead of locking himself in his office like he did when he was really mad. She guessed that she found comfort in following the same route as her father, but she also did it because she saw the benefits. Her head was getting clearer and her heart, lighter. But her feet were still sore from walking around department store after department store looking for things for the gala in two days, so she knew that she should find a bench soon and take a break.

_Damn department stores, _she thought, slowing to a walk. _They're way too big and I swear that they have the same things advertised in the store under different names. It's a conspiracy to get innocent people's money. That has to be it._

She was too busy thinking about the conspiracies that department stores could be behind that she didn't notice that she was walking along a street until she nearly bumped into a light pole. She blinked rather stupidly and sighed before walking again.

"There I go again," she muttered. "Not paying attention to where I'm going. One of these days, I'm going to end up getting hit by a car or a semi, maybe a train if I'm seriously unlucky." She paused to look in a window of a pet shop. "It's the curse of me buying dresses, I'm sure."

"You know, talking to yourself is not a good sign."

Alyssa turned around to find Kaiba standing behind her. "Neither is sneaking up on someone at night," she pointed out, crossing her arms. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Walking around town, thinking." Kaiba said, knowing that it would be no good lying to her because she'd find the truth anyway. "What about you?"

"Jogging and thinking." Alyssa stated. "But thanks to you, my feet are killing me and I can't jog for as long as I want to."

"Sorry."

"Don't start that again." Alyssa ordered, starting to walk away again.

Kaiba walked along next to her and took her hand. Alyssa was too tired to care about the action and knew that not many people would see them anyway. She swung their arms once before letting them hang in between them.

"So, what color dress did you get?" Kaiba questioned.

"I'm not telling you." Alyssa stated. "It's going to be a surprise. But it's not red, black, or yellow." She smirked. "Kathy got a light blue dress."

"I bet it clashes horribly with her hair." Kaiba said.

"It does not." Alyssa informed him. "It looks very nice with her hair and I would appreciate it if you didn't make any rude statements about Kathy. She's my friend, you know."

"I know, I know." Kaiba muttered, glancing at her. "So, why does your uncle think that we're engaged?"

Alyssa sighed. "First of all, he's taking our friend status to a higher level and second, he's just weird. We're not even dating, for Ra's sake."

"We could always change that." Kaiba said, smirking.

Alyssa groaned. "Kaiba, I thought we went through this last night."

"No. We went through us not getting married last night, we didn't say anything about not dating."

"I don't know Kaiba…"

"It's a yes or no answer, Alyssa."

"Fine." Alyssa muttered, looking away from him.

"Excuse me? I don't believe that I heard that." Kaiba said, stopping in his tracks.

"I said yes." Alyssa mumbled, looking at him. "No telling anyone, though."

Kaiba smirked and pulled her into a tight hug. Alyssa sighed and returned the hug. She heard him promise quietly not to tell until she wanted him to and smiled.

_**Finally! I thought you were going to wait until he was getting married or you two were on your death bed before you two finally got together.**_

_Shut up!_

_**And he hasn't even said I love you yet. Don't think that's in his vocabulary anyway, so good luck with being with him.**_

_I thought I told you to shut up!_

_**But then again that will lead to some interesting holidays and conversations…**_

_Don't make me get the exorcist on your sorry ass!_

_**I'm shutting up now.**_

_Finally!_

Kaiba released Alyssa from the hug and took her hand once more. "Come on, I'll drive you to your loony uncle's mansion," he said, leading her towards his awaiting black limo.

"Why Seto, that's one of your best ideas ever." Alyssa commented with a tiny smirk on her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N:_ _On with the next chapter!_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N:Here you go happy readers of Yu-Gi-Oh…Enjoy!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Thirty**

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Please can I come?"

"No."

"I'll behave."

"No you won't."

"How do you know that?"

"I know you."

"I'll be good this time! Just let me come!"

"No! And that's final, Carrie Alyson West.!" Alyssa snapped as she turned around in her seat in front of her vanity to look at her cousin. "I _have _to attend this gala. Uncle was _invited _and you were not."

"But Rich Boy wouldn't argue if you said that you were the one who invited me." Carrie pointed out. "He'd just be a real jerk to me when no one was looking."

"No. I'm not taking you with me and neither will Uncle," Alyssa stated, straightening her black jacket. "This is a business thing and only boring, rich people go there."

"Like you?"

Alyssa gave her a dirty look. "I need to go because I'm an employee of KC and the future heir to Pegasus' company. I have to do these things, even when I really don't want to."

"And you just want to go so you can have Kaiba drool all over your new dress, which is weird on you, by the way." Carrie commented, smirking. "I mean, it's not black or red or any combination of the two. It's _bright _and you're _happy _wearing it."

Alyssa shrugged. "Things change and this dress happened to be the best one I could find in that shitty department building. Unless you would want me to dress like a rich whore, you'd have to deal with this."

"Fine. But can I please go?"

Alyssa sighed and looked at a clock. "No."

"But that's not fair! I never get to go anywhere!"

"You get to go to parties all the time with Yugi." Alyssa reminded her. "But then again, he wasn't invited to this one, either…"

"I never get to go to important events with you…" Carrie grumbled, crossing her arms.

"It can't be helped, kid," Alyssa murmured. "You'll just have to wait until you grow up some more, and then you might get invited to some big parties like this."

"Really?"

Alyssa smiled. "I'll even make sure that you're on the guest list after me."

There was a soft rapping at the door and Pegasus opened it slowly, a hand over his eyes. "Are you decent, Angel?" he asked.

"Yes, Uncle." Alyssa muttered, watching him with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Pegasus lowered his hand and smiled at her. "You look absolutely stunning, Angel, but we're going to be late if we don't leave soon…" he said.

Alyssa sighed and stood up. "Then we'd better go…" She looked down at Carrie. "I'll be sure to knick some things for you."

"You better." Carrie said, watching Pegasus escort her out of the room. "Or I'll have to hurt you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba finished greeting one person, only to have to greet another one. The guests seemed to be arriving in flocks and the place was starting to get louder as more conversations about businesses started and over exaggerated laughter came out of several mouths. He was surprised to find that it wasn't bothering him yet.

"Mr. Kaiba," Kiba said, suddenly standing next to Kaiba and watching him with his shaded eyes. "The Pegasuses are here."

"Good." Kaiba muttered, glancing at the broader man. "Now go back to your post and make sure that the other guards keep an eye on the one guest I told you about."

"Yes sir." Kiba said before walking away.

Kaiba looked at the entrance to the gala hall in the KC tower for any sign of Pegasus and Alyssa. Several fat, rich people entered and blocked his view of the doors momentarily before they smelled food and went in that direction. And then came Alyssa on the arm of her smiling uncle, who was dressed in his famous red suit. A small smile was on her face, and she let a hired servant take her jacket. He was definitely proud of her choice in the silver dress. It would go well with his dark blue suit that had his trade mark long jacket. Kaiba snatched two champagne glasses off a passing tray and waited patiently as Alyssa moved away from her uncle and walked through the crowd towards him.

"Nice dress," he commented once she'd made it through the crowd.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking the glass that he offered. "Apparently, lots of people think the same thing. I've received, like, fifty compliments on it on my way over here." She glanced at him. "It's all very monotonous."

"Well, I could come up with a compliment that no one here would dream of saying, but I'd probably get hit by you." Kaiba said, smirking.

Alyssa glared at him over the rim of her champagne glass. "Then I suggest that you keep that compliment to yourself tonight. I don't want tonight to turn out ugly."

"Fine. I'll wait until everyone else is gone." Kaiba stated.

"Don't." Alyssa ordered before looking around at the crowd of millionaires and billionaires. "So is he here?"

"Regretfully."

"As I recall, you were the one who made sure that he was the second person that I was to invite."

"I have to keep my enemies closer than my friends." Kaiba said. "But then again, I'd like to keep other friends closer than my enemies."

Alyssa smacked him lightly on the arm and looked away. She had completely lost sight of her uncle and instead, she had seen a flash of pink hair in the crowd.

"Well, I hope he doesn't come over anytime soon…" she muttered. "I never liked him during your KC Grand Prix because he was a jerk, a weirdo, and he kept me busy for more than a week, trying to salvage as much of the lost information that I could."

"We made it through and he got in trouble, but obviously that wasn't enough to keep him behind bars for as long as I hoped."

"Bon jour, Monsieur Kaiba," someone said, causing Alyssa and Kaiba to look to their left. It was the pink haired guy that Alyssa and Kaiba had been talking about for the past couple of minutes.

"Sieg Harry," Kaiba muttered curtly.

"Now Kaiba, don't tell me zat zere is still much anger between you and I, after all zis time," Sieg said, playing with the pink rose in the pocket of his pink suit. "I was sure zat ze anger was gone and zat we could go on with our lives."

"Well, considering that you were the one who nearly erased half of KC's files, you should consider the fact that I'm even letting you attend this party as a good sign." Kaiba commented, glaring at the pink haired French man. "If it were up to my friend here, you wouldn't be allowed in the parking lot of Kaiba Corporations after all the trouble you caused for her."

Sieg seemed to realize that Alyssa was standing there and smiled. "And who is your charming friend, Kaiba?" he asked.

Alyssa smirked. "Alyssa Pegasus, Monsieur Harry."

Sieg took one of Alyssa's hands and brushed his lips against the back of it. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said when he once more was looking her in the eyes.

Alyssa resisted the urge to shudder at the contact and the urge to yank her hand away as if he had the plague or something. Kaiba only seemed to be able control his anger to the point that he was only shaking slightly. She had to give him bonus points for that because she knew it must be hard on him to see his new girlfriend being kissed, even on the hand, by the man who almost destroyed Kaiba Corp in a day.

"So, are you Kaiba's companion?" Sieg asked, releasing her hand.

"Uh…companion?" Alyssa questioned, confused.

"His girlfriend or lover?" Sieg inquired.

Alyssa glanced at Kaiba. "I'm his friend and his personal assistant, but nothing more than that, Monsieur Harry," she lied. She glanced in the direction of her uncle and saw that he was gesturing at her. "If you two will excuse me, I believe my uncle would like a word with me."

Sieg pulled the pink rose out of his breast pocket and handed it to her. "It was an honor meeting you tonight, mademoiselle," he murmured, smiling.

"Same here," Alyssa lied before walking away. She gagged herself as she walked in the direction of her uncle. _Creep._

XXXXXXXX

"I wanted to go!" Carrie shouted, throwing a ball at a wall. "It's not fair! All adults are jerks!"

"You're almost an adult," Yugi pointed out, watching Carrie vent her anger in a non-harmful way.

"So?" Carrie asked.

"You're making fun of the people that you'll join in a few years." Yugi said.

"I will not!" Carrie snapped. "When I become an adult, anyone that I know who wants to come to a party can come! No one will stop them and no one will stop me!"

"Your uncle might."

"He wouldn't dare."

"He probably would if he wanted to protect you and thought that you were still too young to be around alcohol. Besides, remember what happened last time you went to an important business party with Alyssa and Pegasus?"

"No." Carrie lied.

"You were the one who placed a bucket of blue paint over the conference room door and made one of the business leaders blue. And I don't even want to mention the creams that you switched. Everyone was puking their guts out after trying them."

"And that serves them right." Carrie stated. "They made me wear a stupid dress and obey stupid rules that didn't even make sense and that everyone broke the moment they entered the room. I had to do something to get my revenge on them."

"And that's why Alyssa is going to inherit Pegasus' company and you aren't." Yugi sighed.

"She can have the company. I never wanted it in the first place. I want to be a professional boxer or something like that, which is a lot more interesting than any corporal job any day."

"Well, I wouldn't know a thing about that, seeing as I don't have a job yet, but I'm sure that you'd make a good boxer. You do like to fight a lot."

The door opened and Duke entered the room. The ball Carrie was throwing was instantly forgotten as she had found something better to take her anger out on.

"WHAT DID I DO NOW?" Duke questioned as Carrie wailed on him.

Yugi sighed and sweat dropped.

_She is really weird._

_**You're the one dating her.**_

_But that's because I like her._

_**And she's weird.**_

_Shut up. You wouldn't understand._

_**And would she understand?**_

_What?_

_**You dreamed about Alyssa again.**_

_SHUT UP!_

_**I'll be sure to tell her the next time I'm out.**_

_Which one?_

_**Both.**_

_Like Hell you will._

_**But I'm pretty sure that Alyssa already knows.**_

_Shit!_

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa grimaced as she looked down at her hands in the moonlight of the balcony. The rose that Sieg had given her lay crumpled at her feet, but someone had obviously forgotten to tell him to remove the thorns which were currently sticking out of her palms. She didn't even dare try to remove them because she was sure that with the way they were so close to her fingers, that her trying to pick them out with the opposite hand would hurt both hands.

"And this is why I don't see how women can stand growing these things," she muttered to herself, studying the damage.

"Need some help?"

Alyssa turned to see Kaiba leaning against the balcony door. She glared at the smirk on his face. "No. I think I like the look of thorns in palms. I do hope it catches on," she said sarcastically, turning her back on him.

Kaiba sighed and walked over to her, taking one of her hands. "How do you get in these messes?" he questioned, picking one thorn out and throwing it over the railing of the balcony.

Alyssa shrugged one shoulder. "I'm highly unlucky, I guess."

Kaiba smirked and removed another thorn. "Or you just don't pay attention half the time," he commented. "Any idiot could see that this thing had thorns."

"And any idiot could see that I don't like being called an idiot by a pompous rich man who happens to be my boss," Alyssa shot back, smirking. "And that _hurts, _Seto!"

"Then I suggest that you don't do something that stupid again."

"And I suggest that you don't tell me what to do or I will have to hurt you."

Kaiba smirked and pulled the rest of the thorns out of her hands. Very little blood welled up from the holes in her skin.

"Does that feel better now?" Kaiba asked, releasing her hand. "Or do I have to kiss it to make it better?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and lifted her palms so that they were a few inches away from her lips. Her eyes glowed with a soft gold light and she blew on her hands. The light faded away and she turned her hands to face Kaiba. The holes in her skin were gone.

"Now do you want to kiss them to make them better?" she asked.

Kaiba crossed his arms. "So that's how my battle wounds healed faster than they should have," he commented.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Alyssa lied. "But if you continue to go on that subject, I will have to hurt you."

"Was that a threat?" Kaiba asked, advancing on her, so that she was forced to retreat towards the side wall.

"Nope. It was more like a promise." Alyssa said, smiling slightly.

Kaiba smirked and put his hands on the wall, on either side of her head. "That's what I thought."

Someone inside the party watched the two new love birds with a look of interest on his face. _Now I have you, Kaiba, _he thought, turning his back on them. _You and your little rose bud will pay dearly for everything you did._

"Come, Leon," he said, passing a short boy on his way to the door. "We're leaving."

XXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Ooh…Something's brewing…I'm not quite ready to end this story yet, but I will tell you that I can count the remaining chapters on two hands, so be prepared for the end…Review me please._


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: An update finally arrives just for you people while the number of chapters dwindles to just a few…Things are only going to get worse before they get better for the love struck pair of the story and I hope you enjoy what you see in the next couple of chapters!_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Thirty One**

Alyssa grumbled under her breath as she watched the rich business people start walking out of the gala room. It was about time. The gala had started at around 8 and it was now getting pretty close to three. Strike that, now it was three.

She rocked back in her chair and sipped at her third glass of champagne. She didn't care that she was still underage; galas like this forced her to do things even if they were illegal. She watched Kaiba struggle to keep his regular business demeanor, but she knew that he was as eager to have the gala over with as she was. The seven or so champagne glasses that he had gone through proved her point.

Finally, the last guest was gone, and Kaiba walked over to where she was sitting. He crossed his arms when he spotted her bare feet in his chair and Alyssa rolled her eyes before removing her feet from his chair. He sat down with a sigh of relief.

"That bad, eh?" she asked, pouring more champagne in his glass.

"Yes." Kaiba muttered, swigging down the glass' contents in a gulp.

"Then why not stop planning galas and only go to the ones that other people plan so that after you've done all the business that you have to you can leave and do better things?" Alyssa questioned.

"Because I have to do this or people will think that I'm not doing anything. They like to see progress instead of hearing about it through other means. Idiots."

Alyssa smirked. "My uncle's one of your so called idiots."

"He's a different kind of idiot, but then again he fits in with all the classifications of idiot."

Alyssa kicked him under the table. "I don't like you at galas," she stated when he glared at her. "You're so mean to people who can't defend themselves."

"Would you rather me be mean to you?" Kaiba asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "Whatever floats your yacht."

"I thought it was 'whatever floats your boat'." Kaiba muttered.

"You're too rich to be happy with owning a boat, so you get a yacht." Alyssa informed him.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and looked up when he heard the heavy footsteps of Kiba. Kiba stopped in front of their table.

"Sir, every guest has made it safely out of the parking lot," he announced. "Well, except for Ms. Pegasus here, that is."

"That's because I haven't even went outside yet." Alyssa pointed out, smiling at the guard.

"Do you want me to arrange some transportation for you, Ms. Pegasus?" Kiba asked.

"She'll be driven home by me." Kaiba stated before Alyssa could reply. "And Kiba, what happened to Harry and his twerp brother? I didn't see them leave with the others."

"One of the other guards spotted Mr. Harry and his brother leaving a couple of hours before the first guests started leaving, sir." Kiba informed them. "As I am told, Mr. Harry looked rather pleased with himself."  
Alyssa sighed and pushed herself to her feet. "I better check the computer main frame," she muttered. "I really don't trust that guy around Kaiba Corp technology."

Kaiba smirked. "I was planning on him trying something, so I had someone monitor the KC main frame while the fire wall was still up. If something had happened, I would have known by now."

Alyssa crossed her arms. "Then what could he be pleased about?"

"I don't know."

"And that's what scares me." Alyssa announced. "So if you don't mind, I want to get my shoes, go home, and curl up under my blankets until morning."

Kaiba sighed and collected her shoes off another chair before standing up. "Lock up behind us, Kiba," he ordered, walking with Alyssa to the door where she grabbed her jacket.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I saw that."

"Saw what?"

"You were looking at me again."

"I'm looking at the road, Alyssa."

"But you're looking at me through your peripheral vision! There you go again!"

"Alyssa, please. I think I'd be more worried if I was looking at you full on instead of the road."

"But you're annoying, Kaiba!"

They had been arguing like that since they had gotten in Kaiba's car and had started driving. Alyssa was so sure that Kaiba was staring at her out of the corner of his eye, and she was determined to make him admit to it. The problem was that he was so damn stubborn that he wouldn't admit to anything.

_**You two are such children!**_

_Exorcist._

_**Fine. Be that way. I don't like you, anyway.**_

"We're here." Kaiba announced.

"Finally!" Alyssa exclaimed, opening the door and getting out before he had fully stopped the car.

Kaiba sighed and walked out after her. Alyssa glanced back at him and crossed her arms.

"What?" she asked.

"What do you mean what?" Kaiba questioned.

"What do you want?"

"Well, it seems to me that I'm walking you to your door." Kaiba said, keeping one of his hands in a pocket of his pants.

"Why?"

"Because that's what boyfriends do."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and started walking towards the front door of her uncle's mansion. "And let me guess, you'll expect a goodnight kiss before you leave," she muttered.

"I expect nothing." Kaiba said.

Alyssa nodded. "Then you definitely expect something."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and paused as Alyssa found her keys and shoved them in the lock. She turned to look at him and smirked.

"So, still expecting something?" she questioned.

"I never was." Kaiba stated.

"That's what I thought." Alyssa murmured, brushing her lips lightly against his. "Goodnight."

Kaiba watched her open the door and slide in before turning and walking away. He glanced at her bedroom window as he opened the driver side door and smirked. He was glad that he had her under surveillance now more than ever. It wasn't that he was perverted or anything, it was just that he wanted to make sure nothing happened to her when they were apart. He knew he'd have to uninstall it soon, though, because he had talked to Pegasus and well, Alyssa wouldn't be happy after she heard the news.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa walked past the living room and immediately halted in her tracks for a moment. She backed up slowly and peered into the room again. Boxes and boxes of junk were piled high in the middle of the room and servants were bringing in more by the minute. She was at a loss until she spotted her uncle strutting over to her.

"Let me take your jacket, Angel," he said, smiling brightly despite what was happening to his things.

Alyssa shook her head. "Uncle, what's going on here?" she questioned.

"Oh, this?" Pegasus asked, gesturing at all the boxes.

"Yes, this." Alyssa said. "What's going on?"

"Well, my dear. I'm moving into my castle on Duelist Kingdom permanently." Pegasus announced. "I don't see the point in me having two houses when so many people only have one." He caught the surprised look on her face. "You really didn't know?"

"Should I have?" Alyssa questioned. "Because someone neglected to tell me that you were moving."

"Sorry. I forgot that I didn't tell you." Pegasus muttered. "But don't worry. I'm sure that you can have your things packed in time to move in two days. And all will be well if it ends well."

"But Uncle," Alyssa whined and that was something she really hated doing. "I have to work! I have work here in Domino City with Kaiba Corp, and babysitting Mokuba…I can't travel back and forth all the time just to get to work."

Pegasus looked crestfallen. "So, you're not coming with me?"

"Uncle, as much as it pains me, no I'm not." Alyssa stated, crossing her arms. "I have to find a place here so that way I can work, but I promise to visit you every weekend or so."

Pegasus sighed and smiled, pulling her into a hug. "My little niece is growing up so fast! Oh, how I wish Cecilia could see this…She'd be so proud of you, I'm sure."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Alyssa muttered, stiffening in his arms. "Now, I have to go pack my stuff and then tomorrow, I'll look for a flat or something…"

"You could always let me send someone to find you something decent." Pegasus pointed out.

"Uncle, I can find myself a place to call home by myself. You just worry about yourself and your company." Alyssa ordered, managing to pull herself out of his grasp. "I can take care of myself." _Like I usually do, anyway…_

She walked down the hall and took a couple of turns to her room before she let her true feelings show. She punched a wall and bit her lip as her knuckles exploded.

_Uprooting me again! First, it was losing my parents' house, then having to leave Duelist Kingdom because uncle wanted to be closer to the city, then moving to Carrie's and my apartment, then moving back here, now I have to find a new house! Why does this always happen to me?_

She stomped off towards her room and huffily walked towards her bathroom after grabbing her undergarments and nightclothes.

_Kaiba better not have known before me or else!_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa groaned as she threw aside another dozen ads for houses that were on sale. Carrie looked over the top of her dozen and cocked an eyebrow.

"I'll never find one!" Alyssa exclaimed, rolling onto her back.

"That's because you don't know what you like, you're so picky, and you have no clue what you're doing in this kind of thing." Carrie announced in a business like tone. "You only know about apartments because you were raised in an apartment for the first decade of your life. Poor thing…"

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Carrie, this isn't funny. He should have told me sooner. At least then I would have had more time to look for a house."

"I have two solutions."

"What?"

"Well, you could always move with Uncle to Duelist Kingdom, take your paid leave, and look for a house while you do." Carrie suggested.

Alyssa growled in a close imitation of Soul Tiger. "What's the other solution?"

"The same thing, only this time, you quit your job with Kaiba Corp and become fully employed in Uncle's company."

Alyssa leapt to her feet, scattering ads for houses and apartments all over her bed. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Carrie asked. "It's not like you actually like working with Kaiba because he's a jerk to you…"

Alyssa looked away.

"And you don't still like Kaiba because he's a jerk…"

Alyssa looked down at her feet.

"And you don't want to date Kaiba anymore…"

Alyssa winced and crossed her arms.

"OH MY GODS OF EGYPT!" Carrie shouted, jumping to her feet now. "ALYSSA MICHELLE PEGASUS! YOU DIDN'T!"  
Alyssa shrugged and sat back down on her bed.

"Alyssa, you can't have! What made you so stupid? You should know better than me what he is! How could you do that to yourself?"

Alyssa sighed. "I…love him…"

"And he only loves your body." Carrie said, crossing her arms.

"No…"

"Has he even said 'I love you' yet? Hm?"

Alyssa sighed and shook her head.

"That's what I thought." Carrie muttered. "So here's what I think you should do. Break up with the bastard and quit your job. Move somewhere far away from him, whether its on Duelist Kingdom, Egypt, or some other place…move away from Domino City. Do that and start your life afresh."

Alyssa shook her head. "You don't understand Carrie…I don't want to leave him…I don't want to leave my job…I want to stay in Domino City until I'm old and gray and am looking for some place warm and sunny. And nothing you can say will change my mind."

Carrie sighed. "So I guess I better help you find your stupid dream house or you'll be forced to live with Keith or Kaiba. Personally…I'd trust you more in the same room with Keith for a month than I would with Kaiba for a minute."

Alyssa rolled her eyes and pulled another ad towards her, searching for her next home.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Carrie's being a little too judgmental, but that could change…Read on to the next chapter!_


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Something bad is going to happen and no one's going to like it…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Thirty Two**

Alyssa was grouchy as she walked into work a few hours later. She didn't bother greeting Kathy as she headed towards the elevators. She was tired, mad, and was in serious need of chocolate. She pushed the sixtieth floor button more than once as if that was going to get her there faster. Just as the doors were about to close, a silver brief case was put in between them and they opened once more. Kaiba slipped in and the doors closed. He glanced at her and smirked.

"You heard about the moving then?" he asked.

Alyssa groaned. "You knew about that and didn't tell me?"

Kaiba shrugged. "I thought you would find out sooner or later." He leaned against the elevator wall and looked at her full on. "So, have any luck finding a place yet?"

"Wait a damn minute!" Alyssa snapped. "How do you know that I'm not moving with my uncle?"

"I know you."

"Fine. I'll give you that. And no, I haven't found a place yet because if I had, I would have slept a couple more hours." She yawned and stretched. "I've been up since three with Carrie looking for a stupid house and haven't had any luck so far. I think I'm going to do some web surfing to find one today while I work…"

"Well, if worst comes to worst, I could put you up in my mansion for a bit."

Alyssa looked at him. "Seto, I'm sure that I'll find a place before my time is up."

"If you don't, there is still a room for you in my mansion."

Alyssa sighed. "I just hope that I won't have to do that because that will just increase the rumors, which are now somewhat true, about us, and I don't want to have to deal with my friends' questions."

"I could help you find a place."

"No. I can do it myself. I don't want your help. I don't want my uncle's help. I want to do this for myself because I am a very capable young woman."

Kaiba nodded and glanced at the doors of the elevator when they opened for some other employees.

XXXXXXXXXX

_That's almost perfect…_Alyssa thought, looking at a picture of a house and its description. _Two bedroom…two bath…a pool in the back…a basement…an excellent view of the city…that'll have to do…it does cost less than what Uncle's mansion cost…and it's kind of close to Kaiba's mansion…_

She quickly called the number on the site and got the realtor. They were eager to make the deal when they found out who wanted to buy it and Alyssa had a meeting for the signing of the documents at five that same day. She only had to bring the one hundred twenty eight thousand, four hundred ninety five dollars in check form to the said house and the house would be hers. She smiled happily and spun around on her chair.

"Someone's in a better mood," Kaiba commented, leaning against the door jam of his office.

Alyssa jumped and looked at him. "How long have you been there?" she questioned.

"Long enough to know that you've found a house," Kaiba said, walking towards her desk now. "And you're purchasing it at five."

"See? I can handle things like this by myself." Alyssa stated, crossing her arms. "And that means that I won't have to move in with you."

She thought she saw something flicker behind Kaiba's eyes before the usual coldness was replaced. So she wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not.

"So, Seto, can I leave at five and make the transaction?" Alyssa questioned. "I'll call you when I start coming back and then I'll work until the last second of my work shift."

"Fine. But you better call me."

Alyssa jumped up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before gathering her purse and her Soul Tiger kitten. "You're the best, Seto!" she called before running over to the elevator.

"I know." Kaiba said, smirking.

Alyssa waved as the doors to the elevators closed and the elevator descended. Kaiba lost his smirk and a frown appeared on his face. He didn't like the idea of her moving away from the protection of guards at all. He'd prefer it more if she had moved with her uncle and had to be flown to work everyday…at least then she'd always be protected…

XXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa smiled happily as she patted the pocket of her jeans that had her house deed in it. Her cell phone was cradled between her shoulder and her ear as she maneuvered her car through traffic. Carrie was on the other end.

"YES!" Carrie shouted in Alyssa's ear. "You found a house and now you won't have to move in with the American dope head or the perverted CEO! I'm so proud of you, Alyssa Michelle Pegasus."

"I know. I can't believe that I got the house, though." Alyssa muttered, putting the phone back in her hand. "The realtor said that at least fifteen other people were looking into buying that house…"

"Well, of course you would get it." Carrie said. "You are the famous niece of Maximillion Pegasus. Who would ever try to keep a Pegasus from getting what they wanted?"

"The government." Alyssa stated.

"True. They never let you get that tank that you wanted, or that submarine…" Carrie mumbled.

Alyssa glanced in her rearview mirror as Carrie continued her rant about what the government wouldn't let Alyssa get. A black pick up was speeding in the next lane and the man behind the wheel was wearing a wide brimmed black hat and black shades. Alyssa sighed and looked back at the road. She saw a blur of black near the passenger's side and saw that the truck was now on her side.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Alyssa asked, eyeing the truck.

"Alyssa, what was that?" Carrie questioned.

The truck's tires squealed with burning rubber as it crashed hard into Alyssa's car. Alyssa lost control of her car and it was sent into a light pole on the side of the road. Her head hit the window before the air bag was deployed and she groaned as she nudged her purse with her foot. Soul Tiger popped his head out.

"Run…" she whispered, blackness closing in around her.

Soul Tiger mewed and vanished in a blue light. The passenger's side door opened and the man with the hat reached in and pulled her out. He held her bridal style as another black car pulled up alongside of them. Alyssa was put in the back onto fluffy pink seat covers after hearing people ask if she was alright. The doors slammed shut and the car sped off as the sound of sirens got closer and she lost consciousness.

In her car, her cell phone was on the floor. Carrie was still on the other end.

"Alyssa? Alyssa?" Carrie asked, sounding nervous. "Alyssa, what happened? Are you alright? Alyssa, answer me!"

She would continue going on like that until a cop found the phone a few minutes later and told her that her cousin was not there and that he needed her to tell him everything she had heard.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba was busy sorting through the large pile of paper in his in tray while listening to the news later that day. He had something stuck in the door, so that it remained open and as far as he could tell, Alyssa hadn't returned. She had called him and had told him that she'd be back fifteen or so minutes after the call, and now it was an hour later. He wasn't too bothered, though, there was a traffic jam on the road back to the KC tower, so that could be the reason she was late. A car wreck was the cause. It involved a black Ford pick up and a black car with dragon seat covers and fuzzy red dice dangling from the rear view mirror. That sounded a lot like Alyssa's car to him, so he set his work aside and turned the volume up.

'_Yes Dave. As far as anyone knows, Ms. Alyssa Pegasus is no longer at the scene, and many good Samaritans asked the man who took her from her car if she was all right. He told them that she was and put her in the back of a car that sped off shortly afterwards. No suspects as of yet, or so the authorities say. And witnesses admit that they didn't get a good look at the license plate or the driver. They can only describe the man that took Ms. Pegasus as a tall man with a muscular build, wearing black clothes, black boots, a black overcoat, black shades, and a large black hat. If you see anyone fitting that description, the police are urging you to call them at the number at the bottom of the screen. We will report back when there's more information released. Back to you, Dave.'_

Kaiba groaned and sank back in his chair, covering his face with his hands. "Alyssa, Alyssa, Alyssa…you are so much trouble!" he exclaimed into his hands.

The phone on his desk rang and he reached over to it on the third one. He placed the ear piece to his ear and waited patiently. Then he held it a foot away from his ear because the caller was loud.

"KAIBA BOY!" Pegasus exclaimed. "Please, please, please tell me that it was one of your goons that took my niece and brought her back to the KC tower! Please, please, please!"

"Pegasus, she's not here." Kaiba announced. "I don't know where she is. I don't know who took her. And I sure as hell don't know why you're calling me about it. I wasn't the last person to see her."

"I don't know who was the last to see her, though, Kaiba boy." Pegasus said in a quieter voice.

"She was last seen by her realtor, and no, I don't know the realtor's name or I would have told you upfront."

"And Carebear was the last one to talk to her…maybe she knows." Pegasus mumbled, hanging up without saying goodbye.

"I don't even want to know." Kaiba muttered to himself, hanging up as well.

He glanced at his newly acquired picture of Alyssa on his desk. _Alyssa, what the hell did you get yourself into?_

XXXXXXXX

Alyssa groaned and tried to rub her aching head, but found that her hands were bound behind her. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in a dark room with only a dim light focused on the chair that she was tied to. She looked down at the chair and saw that it was a dark red in color. _Okay…its wood…maybe I can break it and break free…_she thought, trying to twist her hands in an attempt to check for a weak spot in her bindings. No such luck. They were strong plastic.

_Damn it! Whoever these people are, they are good, _she thought, giving up on escaping that way. _Maybe if I behave myself, they'll let me out of this damn contraption and then I can think easier…_

She heard the sound of a lock clicking and noticed a small chink of light coming from the wall behind her (it was reflected on the wall in front of her). It got bigger, and she knew that she was sitting facing away from the door. She looked up when she felt someone standing over her and saw that she was looking up at the man that had crashed into her.

"What…what do you want?" she asked.

The man brought his hand down on her forehead and she felt a stinging pain. Then a cool liquid that burned like fire was poured on the stinging spot. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly. Something was stuck to her head and the hand went away. She opened her eyes slowly and looked reproachfully at the man.

"What was that about?" she questioned.

"You cut your head when I crashed into your car," the man said in a very deep, rumbling voice. "That's the second time I've changed the bandages. You were still out of it when I did it the first time."

"Okay…so why'd you kidnap me?" Alyssa inquired.

"I was ordered to," the man stated simply.

"Oh, so you have a boss? What's his name?"

"That I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Who am I going to tell? I'm tied up in a dark room all by myself and I have no chance of escaping, thanks to your excellent kidnapping skills." Alyssa smiled slightly at the man.

"My boss doesn't want you to know his name until he wants to introduce himself. So you will just have to wait until then."

"Fine. Do you want to play Go Fish?" Alyssa asked, hearing him start to walk away again.

The man didn't answer and continued on his way to the door.

"Wait!" Alyssa exclaimed. "What's your name?"

"Nicholas…" the man said before he closed the door behind him, plunging Alyssa into almost darkness once more.

"Nice name…" Alyssa muttered before looking back at the corner of the room.

_I wonder if I should try to summon a Monster, _she thought. _Oh wait…I can't. My deck is in my purse, which is in my car and I'm not there… But how did Soul Tiger get out if I never even touched his card? My second voice must know… Hello?_

No response.

_Yo! Second voice! _

No response.

_Incarnation! Yami person! My better half!_

_**You rang?**_

_Finally! I was wondering where you were._

_**I was always here. I just thought you didn't want to talk to me.**_

_I was calling for you._

_**Yes, but you never want to talk to me and always threaten me with the exorcist. Not that I'm afraid of them or anything…they just give me these splitting headaches.**_

_I need your help._

_**And I never did like that one that tried to plunge me head first into the Nile during a flood…**_

_Are you even listening to me?_

_**And then there was that other one who kept chasing me with a torch, shouting, 'Be gone, demon! Be gone, witch! Be gone, creature of the Shadows!' **_

_Hello?_

_**And then there was that one that my loving little brother called on me just because I put a non-venomous snake in his bed. It was funny!**_

_HELLO!_

_**What?**_

_I need your help._

_**Well, you didn't have to shout to get it. Jeez, you people of the future are so rude.**_

_Shut up and help me._

_**What do you need help with, Oh Rude One?**_

_I need to know how I can summon a Monster without using a card._

_**You don't. I do. **_

_Well, if you trade places with me, will you?_

_**Nope.**_

_Why not?_

_**I don't feel like it. And besides, you're very rude to me. **_

_Please!_

_**Call me in two thousand years.**_

_Hello?_

_**Goodbye.**_

_Hello? Come back!_

No response.

_BITCH!_

Alyssa started muttering to herself as she stared at the wall.

XXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Another update will follow at another time, but for now please review my happy friends. _


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: So…barely anyone reviewed my last update. That made me depressed which means that this is only going to be a single update. Tough luck…_

XXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Thirty Three**

"Eat."

"No."

"Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat this or I will shove it down your throat!" Kathy snapped, holding a doggie bag of food in front of Kaiba.

"I told you no." Kaiba said, doing some business online.

"Kaiba, starving yourself won't bring her back any faster and won't help Kaiba Corp any better." Kathy stated, dropping the bag onto his desk and crossing her arms.

"Don't care." Kaiba said, pushing the doggie bag into his trash can. "And that's not why I'm not eating. I'm busy running my company if you haven't noticed Kathy."

Kathy sighed. "Kaiba, I know what you're doing. You're trying to find any leads to whoever you think took Aly and then you're going to go try to save her. Kaiba, that only works in TV shows, books, and movies. Don't try to do something as hopelessly romantic as almost getting yourself killed. Let the police do their job."

Kaiba gave Kathy an annoyed look. "I would think that being one of Alyssa's friends would make you more inclined to see her safely back here."

Kathy blinked. "Of course I want her back here Kaiba. I would give anything to know that she was safe. But I also know that she wouldn't appreciate it if you got yourself hurt in any way just to find her. She'd never forgive you for that."

Kaiba sighed. "Go away," he ordered. "I have some calls to make."

Kathy nodded and walked out of the office. Kaiba made to pick up his phone, but touched something cool and somewhat furry. He glanced over at it and saw a kitten sized Soul Tiger sitting on his desk. It stared at him with its glowing blue eyes.

"Alyssa sent you, didn't she?" he asked.

The Duel Monster shook its head and lay down on his desk. Something on Kaiba's computer beeped and he looked over at it. Someone wanted to have a video chat and seeing as he had nothing better to do, Kaiba accepted.

The screen went black, but someone was distinguishable in the darkness.

"Hello Kaiba," the person said in a deep voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Kaiba questioned.

"I am the one who pulled your little girlfriend out of her car after I wrecked it," the person announced. "And she is currently in my control."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything, but the money my boss promised me. And he will talk to you at a later time."

"I'm calling the police after I have this connection tracked."

"Go ahead. Track all you want, but by the time you start, this computer uplink will have been rerouted to a completely different signal." The person leaned forward. "Do not call the police and stop searching for the girl or I will be forced to hurt her."

With that, the link was broken.

Kaiba stared at the screen blankly for a couple of minutes before he snapped back into reality. Someone was trying to threaten him and scare him off the trail of Alyssa. They wanted him to stop searching for her but if they knew him they'd know that their words would just make him want to search harder. There was no way he was going to lose Alyssa like he had when he had been taken from the orphanage and her visits.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa sighed as she was released from the chair. Her hands were now bond in front of her, but at least now she could walk the stiffness out of her legs. Nicholas shoved the chair near the door and held out a tray of food for her to take. She took it cautiously as she sat down on the floor and placed it on her lap. It was a Caesar salad with a glass of sparkling champagne. Fancy-ish food, so whoever had hired Nicholas was somewhat rich. That was something she had to think about.

Once she finished with her food, Nicholas whisked away the tray and came back. Alyssa watched him feel for something against the wall and a blinding light turned on. Blinking against the harsh light, Alyssa saw that she was in a room. Everything was in a red or a tone of that hue. She groaned as she spotted some pink in the room, but that was one of the colors you got in the red color spectrum.

A room branched off the main room and Alyssa guessed it was the bathroom. She was then suddenly aware of Nicholas removing the bindings at her wrists. She rubbed her wrists where the bindings had pressed into her skin and studied the man that had kidnapped her.

He was a large man. Well muscled, tall, had the grizzly beginnings of a beard, well kept brown hair, and hard brown eyes. Alyssa judged him to weigh about two hundred and twenty pounds. She definitely wouldn't be able to take him on even if she was in her normal state of health. He was just too large and she was just too curious to see who wanted him to take her to even try to take him on.

"The boss man wants you to be happy in your stay here, but if you even try to escape or do something wrong, he'll have me tie you up and gag you like any other hostage I've taken." Nicholas announced. "And I don't have a problem with doing the gagging."

Alyssa nodded and walked over to a small couch. She was tired and she knew that the others were probably worried sick about her. Uncle would be the worst. She shook her head slightly. She never asked for this life. She only wanted to go on living normally. Become an independent person, known for only the good that she done before she retreated back into her life, undisturbed.

She was tired of the hand that Fate had dealt her. She didn't ask to be the reincarnation of some priestess in Egypt. She didn't ask to have a Yami try to take over her body and destroy the world. She didn't even ask to have someone like Kaiba in her life. She just wanted to be happy and to be able to love someone without the world watching her every move. But that wasn't her Fate and she knew that she couldn't do anything to change that.

"Nick," she muttered. "I want to meet the man who ordered my capture."

"You will, soon." Nick promised, not moving from his position by the door as if he thought she'd try to run.

"Soon is not fast enough." Alyssa said, looking pleadingly at the large man. "I don't care how I sound to you, but I am not a patient woman these days and I will not stand to be expected to wait on someone so stupid as to order my kidnapping! I want to meet this man and learn what I could have done that made him want to kidnap me!"

Nick sighed. "The boss man will come in two days to meet you, but he has other plans, Ms. Pegasus, that are more pressing at the moment. So you will forgive him if he can't get his overly large ego here fast enough."

Alyssa huffily crossed her arms across her chest and sagged back against the couch. "So what does he expect me to do in here?"

Nick shrugged. "Freshen up, I guess. Try to entertain yourself with cards or something." He turned to leave. "I will come back later with your dinner."

"Wait!" Alyssa said. "Do you know a Keith Howard?"

Nick paused. "No."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. Of course, wrong name.

"How about Bandit Keith?" she asked.

"Yes."

"If you go out could you tell him that I would like some more of those chocolates that he always gave me? The special ones that he knew I liked?" Alyssa asked innocently.

Nick sighed. "Fine. If it'll shut you up."

"It will." Alyssa promised.

Nick grunted as he left. Alyssa smiled slightly.

_**You better have a plan.**_

_I thought you weren't talking to me anymore._

_**I changed my mind when I heard what you were up to. So do you have a plan?**_

_Maybe I do, maybe I don't._

_**Then you don't.**_

_I didn't say that._

_**No, but I know you because I am you. You don't have a plan. You just want the chocolates.**_

_I don't want the chocolates!_

_**Yes you do.**_

_No I don't._

…

Alyssa rolled her eyes.

…

_Don't you have any faith in me?_

_**Tell the truth.**_

_I am. _

…

_I am telling the truth…_

…

_Fine! I want the chocolates!_

_**That's what I thought. **_

_You don't have any faith in me._

_**Its not that, it's just that I don't think you can come up with a really good plan. Even your plan for fixing Kaiba's drinking problem was out of there.**_

_And you can come up with better plans I suppose?_

_**Not that I like to brag, but I pride myself in knowing that I am a good plan maker.**_

_And somehow I don't think putting a snake in the Pharaoh's bed was a good plan. _

_**He deserved it!**_

_Uh-huh…sure he did…_

_**HE DID!**_

…

_**Hey! Are you listening to me?**_

…

_**This isn't funny!**_

…

_**I don't like being ignored!**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Maybe if we tried thinking about her really hard we could find out where she is, _Yugi suggested, pacing in his room.

_**That won't work.**_

_How about trying to contact her via mind?_

_**Not gonna work either.**_

_What will work?_

_**I don't know.**_

_Well if you don't know, why do you keep dissing MY ideas?_

_**Because they're stupid, Yugi. Really stupid impractical ideas won't get us anywhere.**_

_What am I supposed to do then Oh Wise Ass?_

_**Keep pacing. My legs hurt.**_

_You don't have real legs. The legs you use are spirity legs and when you are in flesh, they're MY legs. So my legs are the ones that are hurting._

_**Do you want to find Alyssa any faster? 'Cause if you do, you'd shut up and keep pacing for me.**_

Yugi stopped pacing and crossed his arms. _Maybe I don't want to find Alyssa any faster. She's a big girl and she's got Kaiba and Pegasus to look for her. I'm sure she can handle it._

…

_What?_

_**It's not Alyssa that I'm worried about. It's Kaiba. I don't know if he can take the strain of knowing that someone else has Alyssa. I remember a man from my past who had a woman and went into a rage if she was even gone for an hour with someone else…And now that Kaiba's heart has finally been healed, I don't know how much strain it can take with Alyssa gone. **_

_See? Alyssa's nothing but trouble._

_**Kind of like your girlfriend.**_

_Is not!_

A beep came from Yugi's computer and Yugi glanced over at it.

_**See? Even your computer agrees with me.**_

_Does not!_

The computer beeped again and the computer screen lit up. Bandit Keith's ugly mug showed up on the monitor and totally creeped out Yugi.

_Pedophile! I'm calling Grandpa and the ASPCA! Maybe even Dateline: To Catch A Predator! I just have to call somebody!_

_**Yugi calm down…there's got to be a logical reason why he's calling…Maybe he wants to sell you some drugged chocolates or whatever he gave Alyssa.**_

"Yo, Moto," Bandit Keith said. "I know you're there, so you better come where I can see ya."

Yugi seriously considered running out of his room and screaming for his Grandpa. Yami of course won and forced Yugi to walk where Bandit Keith could see him.

"What do you want Bandit Keith?" Yugi asked nervously.

"Kid, Aly's been kidnapped," Bandit Keith said. "What I want is pretty much out of the question with her gone."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Yugi questioned. "Because I can't do anything."

"Well, you could tell somebody for starters. This guy just came up to me in a bar and told me that Aly wanted chocolate."

"And…?"

"Aly told me that if she told someone else to ask for the chocolate that she was in trouble and this guy, I know is a professional kidnapper. So, Aly's been kidnapped."

_**Tell us something that everyone else doesn't already know.**_

"Everyone knows Alyssa's been kidnapped. Where have you been? Under a rock?"

Bandit Keith's expression darkened. "Yugi, I know the guy who kidnapped her. And he is really serious about what he does. He's very good at it too."

"Why aren't you telling the police this instead of me?"

"Because I don't want to get put in the pen if I don't have to. I look like a decent suspect in the kidnapping of Aly and they would do anything to try to find out what else I've been doing that, well, no law abiding person would have the balls to do."

_**He has a point.**_

"Anyway, this guy is really good. He never leaves any evidence that could help the police connect him to the kidnapping. He rarely shows his face to the people that he let go. And the ones that he doesn't let go are found dead days later with different methods used to kill them." He smirked. "Most of the ones found dead were younger and uglier than Aly, but since she is such high profile, he might be working for someone else…Someone who rivals her uncle and wants to have the means to buy him out or something like that…"

_**Does this guy have a name?**_

"Does this guy have a name?" Yugi repeated for Bandit Keith's benefit.

"Nicholas Shame," Bandit Keith announced. "And if you tell anyone about this, leave me out of the discussion or I'll be after ya. Got it, punk?"

"Got it."

Bandit Keith's ugly mug vanished from the screen much to Yugi's relief.

_**You have some phone calls to make Yugi, so I suggest that you get to it.**_

_Do I have to?_

_**Yes. **_

_You can't make me._

_**I'll tell Carrie all about your dreams of her cousin…**_

_Fine. I'll call._

_**Good.**_

_I just want you to know one thing first._

_**And what's that?**_

_Sometimes, I really hate you._

_**I know. **_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa yawned and laid back again the pillows on the couch. She was bored and when she got bored, she was not happy. Two of the pink pillows showed this because they had been shredded out of pure boredom and hate of the color pink. The whole room would probably follow if she couldn't think of something to do.

_I wonder how many people are looking for me_, she thought, staring up at the ceiling. _I bet since it's me that people are looking under every rock to find me…I am after all the niece of Maximillion Pegasus, the Duel Monster tycoon. And he's probably in the worst condition ever with me missing…I hope someone takes care of him…_

She groaned. This whole thing sucked. She was missing quality time with her friends and more quality time with Kaiba. She didn't even want to think about what could be happening to him because of this whole charade. She didn't want to think that something horrible was happening to him or that he was considering taking his life again because he thought that someone had ended hers prematurely.

_Soul Tiger will take care of him_, she told herself in an attempt to calm herself. _I sent that tiger to Kaiba for just that purpose. He'll be just fine as long as Soul Tiger's around. Soul Tiger won't let anything happen to him and can help him find me…Yeah, that's right._

_**Talking to yourself is never a good sign.**_

_Shut up…I'm doing it to make myself feel better about all of this._

_**What's there to feel bad about? It's not like its your fault that you were kidnapped. It's called fate and it can happen to anyone.**_

_So? I feel like this is my fault and unless someone can give me proof that it isn't, I'll continue believe it._

…_**You are a strange person, Alyssa Michelle Pegasus. Somehow, I don't think you get it from me.**_

_How can that be? We're the same person._

_**Well, that doesn't mean anything. Your breeding has shaped what you are now…Just imagine what your children will be like.**_

_Children? What children?_

_**Oh, don't sound so stupid. You know very well that there are children in your future if you continue to go out with Kaiba. That's what happened to me.**_

_Hold your horses. No where in the scrolls did it say that Seto was the father of the two children you came back to Egypt with. You were gone for five years and came back with two four year old children…It could have been someone else…_

_**Are you trying to say I don't know the father of my own children?**_

_I'm not saying that…And who says I even want to have kids? They could end up the same way as Kaiba or worse…my uncle…_Alyssa shuddered at the thought.

_**Creepy thought…Take it back!**_

_Can't. I've already thought it and it's in the abyss of my mind. You'll just have to deal with it as long as you keep pestering me about kids with Kaiba. _

_**Fine. You'll never have kids with Kaiba. I absolutely forbid it.**_

_Forbid it? Who do you think you are? My mother?_

_**No. Your better half. And I forbid you and Kaiba having kids. There. I forbade you. So don't you dare go against my word.**_

Alyssa rolled her eyes. Her other half was a bit weird. She glanced over at the door when she heard someone move past it.

_Of course we won't have to worry about children at all if Nick decides to off us…_

_**That is a possibility…How do you think he'll kill us?**_

_I don't want to know._

_**Oh come on. We might get to choose how we die. What could be better than that?**_

_How about not dying?_

_**Besides that…I think we should be locked in a chamber full of carbon monoxide, so that we die slowly and feel like we're falling into a really comfortable sleep. Or maybe we could be forced to put our hand in the cage of a venomous snake and die in slow, agonizing pain as the poison courses through our veins…**_

…_You want to die?_

_**No, but I'd rather choose the way I die instead of having someone else decide it for me…I know! He can drive us off a cliff and we can fall into the ocean or explode onto rocks so many miles below! Yes! That's how I want to die!**_

Alyssa sweat dropped. _Do you even listen to yourself talk?_

_**Yes. I have such a lovely voice. It'll be even better sounding when I'm screaming in terror as we're driven off the cliff. You better tell Nicholas that's how we want to die, so he can make the preparations if the guy who wanted us kidnapped finds no use for us…**_

_Sure…Not!_

_**Please!**_

_I'm going to ignore you until you decide to live instead of deciding how we're going to die, _Alyssa thought, twiddling her thumbs and staring up at the ceiling. _You're making me seem like an insane person…Maybe the Pharaoh should have sicked more than one exorcist on you at one time._

_**Hey! That is not how I want to die! **_

_I'm ignoring you…starting now…_

_**Exorcists kill you painfully! That's not how I want to go! Hey! Are you listening to me? Are you listening to me, Alyssa?**_

Alyssa continued to stare up at the ceiling, silently begging the Gods of Egypt to spare her from slowly slipping into madness because that's not how she wanted to die.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: What did you think? Did you like this one? Did you hate it? Please feel free to tell me what you think about it all. Thanks!_


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Okay…so maybe you were right in leaving. This story is dragging on and on, but I don't think I've had enough of Kaiba having problems. Besides, I'm trying to get him to the point that he's closer to the gain so that a relationship between him and Alyssa has the full support of the gang and so on and so forth…_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Alyssa's eyes snapped open when she heard the door open and she frowned, not knowing when exactly she had shut up. She was sure that it had been after her other half had stopped talking, but she wasn't exactly sure when. She was afraid that she might have missed something or had something done to her, so she quickly gave her self a glance over without sitting up on the couch.

Nothing was out of order and she was sure that the stinging on her head had always been there since the crash. She hadn't been bothered or touched by her kidnapper while she slept.

"Bon jour Mademoiselle," someone said, closing the door behind them.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed as she recognized the voice. "Sieg Harry!"

"Ah, I see zat you do know me," Sieg said, smiling smugly at the glare she threw at him. "I thought that you would zink zat I was another man with a French accent."

"There's only one person in the entire world with a voice as horrible as yours!" Alyssa spat, getting to her feet as he approached her. "Why did you have Nicholas kidnap me?"

"Because you are ze only one that has a connection to both Monsieur Kaiba and Monsieur Pegasus," Sieg replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Both men love you, cherish you and I know zat both are desperate to have you returned to them, my little rose bud."

"They'll pay you nothing to get me back!" Alyssa growled. "They will have the authorities on your tail before you can blink and you'll be locked away for a very long time."

"Why do you zink zat I have hired Monsieur Shame?" Sieg asked. "Ze man has ze highest level of experience of kidnapping people known to man and he has never been caught. No one will see ze connection between me and him."

"I won't let you get away with this!" Alyssa snarled, reaching into her pocket.

Her eyes widened slightly when her hand found nothing. That's when she remembered that she had left her cards in her purse and her purse was in her totaled car.

_Dammit! _Alyssa thought, grinding her teeth.

"Zere is very little you can do to stop me, Mademoiselle. I have thought of everything and even if you do manage to overpower me and Monsieur Shame, you will have no way out of here. The doors are locked with the newest security technology and only Shame and I know ze codes to them. You'd be in here for a very long time."

"I'd find a way out."

Sieg laughed lightly. "I'm sure you would, given time, but I do not have ze time for such experiments."  
He snapped his fingers and Nicholas entered the room. Alyssa hissed in protest when Nicholas came at her with a couple of cable ties and a piece of dirty cloth. She couldn't avoid him though because Sieg tripped her and let Nicholas fall upon her.

"In time, I'm sure you will learn to see things my way," Sieg said, watching Nicholas bind Alyssa's hands behind her back and gag her with the cloth. "I am doing zis merely for the honor of my family zat your Seto Kaiba has taken away from us with your uncle's help."

Alyssa wanted to scream at him, but the gag prevented her. Nicholas pulled her up from the ground and pushed her onto the couch. She knew that there was no way out of this now and desperately wished that there was. She didn't want Kaiba or her uncle to get hurt because she was stupid enough to get kidnapped by Kaiba's rival.

"I have the video camera ready sir," Nicholas said, looking pointedly at Sieg Harry when tears started swimming in Alyssa's eyes.

"Good," Sieg said. "Zis is ze last thing you must do for me, Monsieur Shame, and then you can go away forever."

Nicholas nodded and pulled out the video camera. "Very well sir."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba glared at the TV when he saw himself walking on the screen, avoiding answering questions about how he felt about Alyssa's kidnapping. News reporters were too nosy for their own good and he felt that they should focus more on getting people to look for Alyssa than bugging him about it. Who cared how he felt about losing his girlfriend when there was the chance that she could be raped or murdered at any time and the authorities could do something to change that fate? They could all go to hell as far as he was concerned, just as long as Alyssa was returned to him before something seriously bad happened to her.

His computer beeped and a message came up that someone wanted to have a video conference with him. With a growl, he agreed to it and turned his TV off.

Sieg Harry's face appeared on the screen and in his arms was a gagged Alyssa.

"Bon jour, Monsieur Kaiba," Sieg greeted with a small evil smile. "I hope all is well with your company so zat I may have ze pleasure of destroying it myself."

"So you were the one who kidnapped Alyssa!" Kaiba growled, glaring at the pink haired man. "I should have known."

"Ah, I did no such thing, but still she ended up in my keep," Sieg said with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "A good friend of mine did all the hard work – he is very good at zis sort of thing, you see – and allowed me to take something zat you loved more than your precious company without me having to lift a finger. It was perfect."

"Give her back!" Kaiba commanded, banging his fist on his desk. "She has nothing to do with this, you bastard! This is between you and me!"

"Watch your mouth, Monsieur Kaiba," Sieg warned. "Zere is a lady in ze room."

"You haven't heard the worst of my language!" Kaiba snarled. "Let her go!"

"Now, you know I can't do zat until I get what I want," Sieg said, stroking Alyssa's hair as if she was a dog. "Zat is usually how this ransom thing works. You give me what I want, and you get what you want. Everyone wins, except this time, you can't possibly win."

"What do you want?"

"I want one billion of your dollars and all ze titles to the projects zat you stole from me."

"I didn't steal anything –"

"And zen you will have Monsieur Pegasus give me one billion of his dollars and ze credit for ze projects zat you stole from me," Sieg cut across Kaiba. "Zen you may have your little rose bud back."

Alyssa stared at Kaiba and shook her head vigorously and he could tell that she didn't want him to do it. Sieg's fingers twined themselves in her hair and he yanked her head back.

"Now we'll have none of zat, my dear," he said in a hard voice. "You do want Monsieur Kaiba to come for you, do you not? You do not want to be killed or locked in a room for ze rest of time, do you?"

Alyssa shook her head again and Kaiba could see the tears forming in her eyes. That man was hurting her…

"Stop touching her!" he roared, leaping to his feet. "You'll get what you want."

Sieg laughed. "How did you find such a lovely rose bud, Kaiba, and manage to keep her so long? Surely your business means more to you than she…"

"You'll get what you want," Kaiba repeated. "Just be prepared to let her go."

"You have one hour," Sieg said, making a slicing motion with his hand at his neck.

The screen went black, but scribed across the bottom of the screen was an address. Kaiba memorized it quickly before it too vanished.

"Dammit!" he snapped, grabbing the phone. "Kathy, get Pegasus on the phone!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa glared at Sieg once the connection was broken. Her head hurt because of him and she knew that seeing that would make Kaiba furious. This man really wanted to be killed all for the sake of honor. Even if he didn't have any in reality.

"Take ze gag off," Sieg ordered Nicholas after the man put the camera away. "Zere is something that I want to discuss with our guest."

Alyssa saw the look in his eyes and squirmed away from him, moving closer to Nicholas. She felt the kidnapper work at the knot at the back of her head and then the gag fell away from her.

"Please Nicholas, don't leave the room," she begged, turning her head slightly so she could see him.

"Shame, leave." Sieg ordered in a bored tone of voice.

Nicholas looked at Alyssa for a moment before walking towards the door.

"Nicholas, please!" Alyssa exclaimed, jumping onto her feet.

Nicholas looked helplessly at Sieg, who waved a dismissive hand. Nicholas sighed and walked out the door. Alyssa wanted to run over to the door and kick it enough to make Nicholas come back and bind her to a chair, but she wasn't allowed to.

Sieg grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back onto the couch. "Come here, my little rose bud."

Alyssa growled and twisted away from him. Sieg's eyes narrowed and he slapped her.

"Now, we'll have none of that," he said, glaring at her.

Alyssa's eyes watered, but she tried to tell herself not to cry. She didn't want to give him that satisfaction. She didn't want him to know how much he was hurting her. She wouldn't let him know.

"Now, let's have a look at you," Sieg whispered, grabbing her roughly by her chin.

Alyssa turned cold when he crushed his lips against hers. There was no fire in his kiss, but an ice cold wave that froze her on the inside the longer he touched her. She felt the air in her lungs freeze as she continued to be unresponsive to his kiss.

She made sounds of protest when she felt his hands wandering over her body. The hand that went up her shirt and squeezed her breasts freaked her out and made her attempt to twist away from him, but he pulled her closer.

He pulled away from her long enough to wrench her shirt up over her head. She shuddered under the look of admiration and hunger in his eyes as he gazed upon her. He wasn't supposed to see any of this. This was only for Kaiba to see.

"Stop…please…" she begged quietly.

Sieg ignored her as he pushed her back on the couch and climbed on top of her. Alyssa closed her eyes and wished that she was dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nicholas leaned against the door, listening. The girl had tried to get him to stay and he had wanted to, but it was his job to do the opposite of what the victim wanted. He couldn't do anything to help her while his employer was in the room and now she was paying for it.

He could hear her broken cries and Sieg's cruel laughter as the man did God knows what to her. He didn't want to think about the harm that was coming down on that poor girl.

_What are you doing, Shame? _he asked himself. _You can't be thinking of that girl as a person. That is not what this line of work allows. You can't get all feely over some chick you had to kidnap. That's not how it works._

But he did feel for the girl, Ms. Pegasus. She had a name, it was Alyssa, and she had a life. True, she was another rich girl and there seemed to be no end to rich girls, but she was different. She had talked to him nicely when she spoke and she had tried to befriend him. No one he had ever kidnapped had ever done that. They'd all been afraid of him and he supposed that was how they were all supposed to act. But she wasn't afraid of him. She was afraid of that equally rich man in that room, but was willing to suffer to keep another man – that he guessed that she loved – from getting hurt himself. She wanted everyone else to be all right and didn't give a damn about herself.

Nicholas winced when he heard her scream out in pain and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. He turned it on and started walking away from the door.

"Hello, I'm calling to report a crime," he said, leaving the place where Sieg was holding Alyssa hostage. "There's a man hurting a young woman…and I am the one who kidnapped her in the first place…" He sighed. "By the time you get here, he'll probably already be gone with her, but I won't be. I can tell you where they are going, though…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Short chapter, I know, but that's how it turned out. Shame had a change of heart, so Yay him! Review this freaking chapter or I will have Shame kidnap you!_


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N: Here's your newest chapter for your pleasure!_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**Chapter Thirty-Five**

Alyssa was crying silently as she rode in the back of the car with Sieg Harry. He'd had his way with her and that seemed to make him happier. She hated the way he looked at her and wished that she could have her evil Yami back for just a few moments. There would be no looking at her like that anymore.

_**You shouldn't think such things, even in this kind of situation. She would do much worse than kill him…she would try to take over the world and kill almost everyone in the world…**_

_I don't care right now…He wasn't supposed to see…he wasn't supposed to…_

She couldn't even form her own thoughts without breaking into renewed tears. She heard Sieg chuckle.

_**Alyssa, let me out. I want you to have some quiet time. I can handle this bastard.**_

_Thank you…_

Alyssa's eyes flashed gold briefly and then she stopped crying. Her head snapped up and she met Sieg's gaze evenly.

"So, you enjoy raping girls, do you?" she asked in a hard voice. "You disgust me."

"You have ze opposite effect on me, Mademoiselle," Sieg Harry replied with a smirk.

"If you were in my time, you would be destroyed so that no trace of you remained. Not even your name." She smirked. "All of your family would be eliminated and everyone would forget who you were in a matter of days."

Sieg's eyes narrowed. "No one would touch my brother."

"If we were in my time, you would have no brother." She slid her bound hands under her legs and sat them on her lap, rolling her shoulders. "I don't care how innocent he is or how much my friends think of him, he is still born from scum."

"No! My family is held in ze highest esteem!" Sieg exclaimed, clearly getting mad. "Just like yours!"

"Everyone will know what kind of monster you are as soon as you are captured for your crimes. Everyone will look upon the Harry name in disgust. You will lose business contacts. Your brother will have to start from the bottom of the corporate chain because of your actions. Everything you have now will be stripped away from you."

"Silence!" Sieg snarled, striking her across her face, but she didn't even flinch. "You know nothing!"

"You're wrong. I know _everything_. I know what is written in your future and therefore I know that you don't have one."

Sieg chuckled. "And Kaiba has none either. Not as long as I have this."

Sieg showed her a handgun and Alyssa hissed at the sight of it. Sieg held it up and aimed it at her chest.

"I have to make sure zat no one can talk of what has transpired here. Kaiba and your uncle will not see another day."

"What's to stop me from telling then?" Alyssa demanded, sticking her chin out defiantly. "You have no one to watch over me who can control me anymore. I will be able to get away and you'll never be able to stop me."

"I know where your friends are and I can have my men take them out one by one if you even try to run away." He smirked and set the gun down next to him, leaving one hand on it. "Do not think zat I have forgotten to plan ahead because I can assure you zat I have not."

Alyssa stuck her tongue out of him as the car pulled to a stop. Sieg glanced out the window and smirked.

"Come along Mademoiselle," he commanded, opening the door. "Destiny waits."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba glanced at his watch when it beeped before looking down the alley again. It was exactly one hour since Sieg Harry had contacted him and he saw no sign of the pink haired man. He had called Pegasus about the meeting but the man was in no condition to face Sieg Harry or even leave his mansion at the moment. So Kaiba held two briefcases – one his and the other was one sent by Pegasus – and waited.

"I'm glad to see zat you decided to meet me Monsieur Kaiba," Sieg's voice said as he moved out of a building with Alyssa secured in his arm. "And without ze police involved as well."

"Don't consider that a sign in your favor," Kaiba said, staring at Alyssa and noticing that there were streaks left behind by tears on her face. "They've probably already been contacted by Pegasus."

"I have no doubt zat they are already on their way," Sieg said, not hiding the fact that he had a gun pointed at Alyssa's side. "Something tells me zat ze man I employed has betrayed me. No matter. He shall pay soon enough." He gestured at the briefcases with his gun. "Zat is what I demanded, no?"

"Two billion dollars from me and Pegasus, as you demanded," Kaiba muttered, setting the briefcases on the ground. "Along with the deeds to the projects that you _claim _I've stolen from you."

"Slide them towards me."

"First give me Alyssa."

"Oh no…I am not falling for zat trick. You will give me what I want first and then, I will give you what you desire."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed further when Sieg pulled Alyssa closer. He set the briefcases down and kicked them away from him. They stopped an arm's length away from Sieg and Alyssa. Sieg gestured at Kaiba's right hand that had not moved away from his pocket.

"Also, slide zat gun of yours towards me too. You will have no use for it if you wish to keep your rose bud safe…"

Kaiba reached into his pocket and withdrew the gun. For a moment he considered doing the heroic thing by taking a shot at Sieg Harry, but he knew that Alyssa would be in danger if he missed. He frowned and slid the gun away from him.

Sieg laughed and pushed Alyssa away from him. She fell onto her stomach near the gun and stared at it for a moment before looking at Kaiba urgently.

"Run Kaiba!" she screamed.

"Not without you," Kaiba said, taking a step towards her, but he stopped when he realized that Sieg Harry had the gun trained on him.

"Actually, you are not leaving at all Kaiba," Sieg declared with a maniacal grin. "And I can't just let your rose bud leave either. She was so sweet to taste zat I can not let her out of my grip ever again."

"You touched her?" Kaiba barked.

Alyssa's eyes swam with tears and she quickly bowed her head to hide them from Kaiba. "Kaiba, please run…Just run…"

Kaiba's hand clenched into fists. "I'm not leaving you. I'm never leaving you alone with this creep again!"

"You will not be around for our wedding night Kaiba," Sieg said, tilting his head to one side. "For on zat night, I will have merged my company with zat of Pegasus and ze Harry Empire shall arise. Your company will fall under mine as your little brother signs ze deeds over to my little brother and soon, he will be forgotten just as you will be."

"Alyssa will never marry the likes of you!" Kaiba spat.

"Alyssa will marry me once she learns zat her friends have a limited time left on zis planet! Everyone she knows now has so little time on zis planet! And ze only way to save them is by marrying me!"

Alyssa looked at Kaiba through a curtain of hair, her eyes pulsing with a gold light. "Kaiba please leave. Alyssa – Alyssa will be all right if you just leave…"

Kaiba shook his head. "I'm not leaving."

Sieg – who had been continuing his speech about what he was going to do with Alyssa after Kaiba was gone – stopped talking and smirked. "Ah, here I am talking about plans for ze future and I have yet to set them in motion. Goodbye Kaiba."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carrie blew a strand of hair out of her face while Yugi called the police. There were a dozen burly men attacking her, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. Duke was under the pile screaming for salvation after Carrie had mistakenly attacked him when he came in from the street moments earlier.

"Yugi, stop calling the police! They're unreliable!" Carrie screamed at him over Duke's cries to hundreds of different gods.

"Shh! They can hear you!" Yugi warned, ducking in between the legs of one the burly men who charged at him.

Carrie smirked. "AHH! HELP ME! I'M CUTE AND THESE MEN ARE ATTACKING ME! I AM VERY PROTECTIVE OF MY BODY SO IF YOU GIVE A DAMN YOU'LL SAVE ME FROM THEIR PATHETIC BLOWS! GET AWAY FROM THE DOUGHNUTS AND SAVE A FRIGHTENED WHITE CHICK!" She smiled at Yugi. "That better?"

"No. Not really," Yugi muttered.

Carrie shrugged. "I can't please everybody." Then she returned to pounding a guy's face into the counter. "Right guy? Oh wait! You can't speak cuz I knocked all your teeth out! So sorry. NOT!"

"Will you stop yammering over there?" Tristan glared over at them as he held two men in a headlock. "This is kinda serious!"

Carrie rolled her eyes and dropped the man she was holding in time to see Yugi bring the phone down on a guy's head. The phone of course was broken by the guy's extremely hard head, but the guy was knocked out.

"Wow Yugi. I didn't know you had that in you," Carrie commented with a proud smile. "But can you keep it up?"

"Um…no." Yugi then dove behind the counter and made himself as small as possible only to have a guy limp behind it in an attempt to get away from Tristan. "SHIT!"

Carrie laughed as she saw Yugi jump very high in the air and then tackle the man around the legs. They quickly vanished behind the counter and Carrie was distracted by another man, so she didn't see what happened next.

"You know, this is kind of easy," Joey commented, dropping a man on top of Duke as Duke managed to get out of the pile. (Duke: "SHIT!") "I wonder where they came from."

"Beats me." Tristan said.

"Ooh! I have a theory!" Carrie exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Oh crap," Tristan muttered, rolling his eyes as he too deposited his guys on Duke, therefore crushing Duke and making the boy pass out. "Let's hear it."

"Well…these guys were sent by Alyssa's kidnapper. His idea is that if he can make Alyssa think that we're in danger that she'll do everything he wants. And if she doesn't…he'll have us killed one by one until she finds the need for new friends so he can repeat the process all over again," Carrie stated, crossing her arms.

"Did you happen to glance in the future or something?" Yugi demanded, popping out from behind the counter.

"No. I was just thinking about what I would do if I decided to kidnap somebody attractive and rich…" Carrie looked at Yugi. "Sorry…Did you win?"

"He's sleeping on my foot," Yugi complained, wincing.

"Well, kick him off then."

"He's sleeping on BOTH feet."

Carrie groaned. "You are hopeless."

_**He's a wuss.**_

_Shut up!_

Joey peeked out of the shop when he heard sirens. "Hey! They only sent two cars!"

"Police are idiots," Carrie stated. "They can't do math. That's how they got the job. Duh." She looked at Yugi again. "Did you tell them how many men there are?"

"I told them there were twelve. Obviously they didn't listen."

Tristan looked around the shop. "Didn't Duke come in here?"

"Haven't seen him," Carrie lied, stomping on Duke's hand. "Why don't you go and greet the police. Actually, I think I will. I'm cuter than all of you."

Carrie bounded over to the door and put on a hysteric face. "Please! Help me! I knocked the guys out with my friends and now I don't what to do!"

The police pushed past her and studied the shop. They stared at Yugi, Tristan, and Joey in amazement for a moment when they saw the pile of guys on the floor (and the feet of the man behind the counter).

"You guys took out all of these bigger guys?" one of the policemen asked, scratching his head.

"Actually, she did most of the work," Joey admitted, pointing at Carrie.

Carrie smiled warmly. "Want me to put these guys in the back of your cars for you?"

"What about that guy?" another policeman asked, pointing at a squirming Duke.

"Ah, there he is," Carrie smirked. "You can take him away too."

"CARRIE!" Tristan, Joey, and Yugi exclaimed, staring at her.

"What did I say? What did I say?" Carrie asked innocently.

Tristan shook his head and looked at the police officers as they began handcuffing the burly men. "Why did they send only two cars?"

"Most of the force is on the move towards an abandoned part of town," one of the police officers said. "Apparently they got a tip on the kidnapping of Ms. Pegasus through the man that was hired to kidnap her. Something big is supposed to happen down there or so they say."

Tristan looked at Yugi. "I have to go now."

Yugi nodded. "I can't stop you."

"Go where?" Carrie asked. "If you think that you can go to where Alyssa is you're stupid! There is no way you'll be able to get close enough to do anything to save her. Just let the crummy police do their job as best as they can. We can sue them later if Alyssa dies."

Joey edged towards her with a nervous face. "You do realize that we're in the presence of the crummy police, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You do realize that they can arrest us?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to get us arrested?"

"Aw…Are you afraid of becoming someone's -"

"Carrie don't even say that!" Yugi commanded, looking mortified.

Carrie smirked and walked out of the shop. "See ya! I'm going to go watch the show!"

She snapped and Uria appeared out of nowhere and she got on his back. With a wave, she took off on his back and disappeared into the sunset.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nicholas Shame looked up when the police officer in the driver's seat asked him which way they should go. He answered in a mumble, looking back down at his feet.

_They won't make it in time,_ he told himself with a sad heart. _She'll see her uncle and the man she loves get killed right in front of her…She'll lose her mind and then she'll be forced to make that bastard her husband…Why did I let myself get mixed up in this?_

A small meow caught his attention and he saw a blue kitten sitting in the seat next to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

It meowed again and then rubbed against his leg. He saw the glint of a collar and touched the tags.

_Alyssa…_

"We'll make it in time, right?" he asked the kitten.

The kitten nodded and vanished in a wisp of a blue flame. With renewed hope, Nicholas held his head up high and continued to direct the stupid police officers towards their destination. He prayed to the gods above that they would indeed make it there in time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba took a backwards step when he realized that the gun was aimed at his chest. He knew that he wouldn't make it if Sieg managed to get the shot. And he knew Sieg would.

"Alyssa, get out of here if you can," Kaiba said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I can hold him off so you can get a head start."

Alyssa shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"How noble you two are to stand zere with ze love for ze other burning in your hearts for all to see," Sieg commented, cocking his gun. "But it is not enough. I will have what is rightfully mine and you will go to ze Shadow World to rot for an eternity Kaiba. Goodbye, my rival."

A gun was fired and the world seemed to freeze as tears poured from Alyssa's eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
_A/N: Ha! A cliff hanger! Hate me if you will but they deserved it. Also, if you're wondering where Tea was, she was at a dance class and was failing it horribly. I thought you'd like to know. SO REVIEW ME! And update might happen in the next week._


	36. Chapter 36

_A/N: Haha…Sorry I made some of you mad with that cliffhanger ending, but it had to happen that way? Here's what's happened now…_

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**Chapter Thirty-Six**

The world seemed to move in slow motion as another gunshot rang out. Sieg and Kaiba stared at Alyssa in shock. Tears continued to pour from her eyes as she held the gun Kaiba had dropped with shaking hands.

Two bullets tore into Sieg's body, making him jerk involuntarily. The gun in his hand dropped to the ground and a stray bullet hit a wall, embedding itself deep in the brick. Slowly, he put a hand over one of the wounds and saw the blood on his hand.

"Alyssa, what have you done?" he asked, looking at her and taking a step towards her.

"Stay – stay away from me!" Alyssa cried, pointing the gun at his chest again.

Not heeding her words, Sieg took another step towards her, withdrawing a knife from his pocket. Alyssa panicked and pulled the trigger again.

Sieg's eyes widened and he coughed up blood as he sank to his knees. Alyssa watched him fall forward and lay on the ground, unmoving. A puddle of blood started forming underneath him.

A hand was placed on her shoulder as the sound of sirens drew near and Alyssa jumped. Kaiba gently pried the gun out of her hands and pushed it away from them. Alyssa's eyes glowed dimly before she grabbed onto him and started crying into his chest.

"It's all right Alyssa," Kaiba whispered, stroking her hair. "It's over now."

"I thought I'd lose you!" Alyssa cried, tangling her hands in the fabric of his jacket. "When he pointed the gun at you…I couldn't lose you like that!"

"Shh…It's all right. I'm right here and no one's going to hurt either of us."

Alyssa looked up when she saw the flashing lights of the police cars and let Kaiba pull her to her feet. She quickly released him and wiped away her tears. Soon she was surrounded by police officers and in their midst she saw Nicholas Shame. The problem was that Kaiba saw him too.

"Was he the one who was hired to kidnap you?" Kaiba demanded, pointing at Nicholas.

Alyssa nodded and took a step towards the kidnapper. The kidnapper quickly lowered his eyes and pressed himself against the police car. Kaiba growled and started towards the man, his hands becoming fists.

"Kaiba, don't!" Alyssa exclaimed, watching him almost hit Nicholas. "He – he was the one who called the police!"

Kaiba's fist stopped an inch away from Nicholas' face. "He did?"

Alyssa nodded hurriedly and walked over to them. "Didn't you, Nicholas?"

Nicholas nodded. "But it doesn't make up for what I let that bastard do to you…"

"No it doesn't, but you helped me," Alyssa said with a wan smile. "You got the police on the right track, despite what it's going to cost you, and that allowed them to find me sooner. You helped save me and Kaiba and I'll never be able to repay you."

"I don't want payment," Nicholas muttered, looking down at his feet again. "After everything I've done, I'm getting what I deserve."

Alyssa shook her head. "I'm going to hire the best lawyer I can for you and I'll testify on your behalf. I don't want you to have to rot in jail for the rest of your life."

Kaiba grabbed her arm. "Aly, he kidnapped you and practically gift wrapped you for Sieg! And you're_ helping_ him?"  
Alyssa shrugged. "Even monsters can have changes of heart. He changed for the better, Seto, and I'm making sure that the world notices that. I personally don't hold him responsible for my kidnapping. If you do, that's fine, but since I'm the one who was kidnapped, I think what I say has more power than what you say."

Nicholas looked at her in surprise when she hugged him. "Ms. Pegasus…"

"Angel!" Pegasus' voice rang out above the sound of the police sirens. "Angel! Where are you?"

Alyssa pulled away from Nicholas and looked around for her uncle. Spotting him, she waved and let him pull her into a bone breaking hug as relief shown on his face. Alyssa hugged him back as tightly as she could and told him that she was fine.

_She's lying, _Kaiba realized. _She's not fine. She just killed a man after being raped by him. There is no way she can be all right. I bet if I even attempt to kiss her, she'll flinch and retreat into herself._

Alyssa looked over her uncle's shoulder at him as if she heard what he'd just thought and smiled at him. "Can I go home now?" she asked with a small amount of hope in her voice.

"The police will want to question you Angel," Pegasus stated, keeping an arm around her shoulders. "They'll want to know everything that happened when you were in the custody of that deranged boy."

Alyssa's eyes darkened. "Oh."

"I could ask them to hold it off for awhile, so you can rest," Pegasus offered and for the first time ever, Kaiba realized that Pegasus really did care about Alyssa as if she was his real daughter. "You wouldn't have to answer any of their questions until you were ready."

Alyssa shook her head. "I want to get this over with as soon as possible. The longer it waits, the more it'll hurt." She looked at Kaiba. "And then I want to go home with you."

Kaiba nodded. "If that's what you want."

Alyssa sighed and looked at the police officers that were approaching her. "I hope the gods give me the courage to do this…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa was at the police station for a few hours, recounting her tale over and over again until there was no one in the station that didn't know what had happened to her. Word came around that Sieg had died on the operating table and many were convinced that no one really wanted to save him anyway. They didn't want to listen to her when she pleaded for a lighter sentence on Nicholas Shame, but with the help of Pegasus and a reluctant Kaiba, she managed to get him a light sentence of ten to fifteen years behind bars.

On the ride to Kaiba's house, she was silent except when she heard a song on the radio that she knew the words to. Kaiba wanted to hear her sing and be happy, so he didn't bother her even when he noticed the tears that sparkled at the corner of her eyes.

_She's been through a lot. I just have to give her time, _Kaiba told himself as he held the door open for her. _She'll open up to me when she's ready._

Alyssa smiled when she was tackled by Mokuba. She hugged him back and whispered that she too had missed him. When he challenged her to a fight on a video game, Kaiba decided it was best to intervene before Mokuba could convince her to play a bloody game.

"Mokuba, she's been through a lot and I think it's best if we just let her get some sleep," Kaiba said, not caring about how his brother frowned.

"Oh…Do you want me to tuck you in Alyssa?" Mokuba asked, looking up at her.

Alyssa smirked at him. "It's supposed to be me that gets to tuck you in. Not the other way around."

"I know, but I'm not tired."

"Well, I'm not tired either. So, if your big brother doesn't mind, how about we watch a movie?" Alyssa suggested, looking at Kaiba.

"I don't have a problem with it," Kaiba muttered, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Alyssa smiled warmly at him and let Mokuba drag her away, talking loudly about what movie he thought she'd like to watch. Kaiba followed at a slower pace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mokuba really was tired as Alyssa and Kaiba soon found out. He fell asleep half way through the movie and leaned against his brother. Alyssa looked over Mokuba's head at Kaiba, who nodded and turned the movie off. She followed him as he carried Mokuba in the direction of the boy's room and held the door open for them.

"He's getting to be too big for this," Kaiba muttered, emerging from the room.

"He's still young. Give him a couple more years," Alyssa whispered, closing the door. "Then you can talk to him about girls…"

Kaiba sighed and walked with her down the hall. "Alyssa, I was really worried sick about you when you were gone…"

"I was more worried about my friends than I was about myself. I couldn't stop thinking about how you guys were going to freak when you found out that I was gone. And then when Sieg threatened to kill you all…I was really afraid for you."

Kaiba looked at her as he paused outside of his room. "And he raped you…"

Alyssa nodded and she scratched herself as she hugged herself almost like she couldn't stand the skin she was in. "He violated me and all I could think about was how wrong it was to have that monster on me when it was supposed to be only you that did that. It was supposed to be you who looked at me like that and not some monster…You were the one who was supposed to be moving inside me and no matter how hard I focused on that, I was tormented by the thought of him moving inside me, trying to hurt me…Even now, I can still feel him under my skin…"

Kaiba grabbed her hands when he saw the angry red lines on her skin start to seep thin lines of blood. "Alyssa, stop hurting yourself."

"I can still smell him. I can see the look in his eyes. I can taste him. Kaiba, I think I'm going insane!"

Kaiba pulled her to him as she started trembling again. He made soft comforting sounds and pulled her into the bedroom.

"Alyssa, you're safe now. Sieg is dead. He can't come back to hurt you."  
Alyssa looked up at him with pleading in her eyes. "Take me to the shower, please. I have to get him off of me!"

Kaiba nodded and led her to the bathroom. He tried not to watch as she pulled her clothes off, knowing that she probably didn't want to have anyone look at her without a layer of clothing after everything she went through. She frowned and started scrubbing herself as hard as she could the instant she was under the scalding hot water.

"You must think I'm silly," Alyssa muttered, glancing at him through the glass door. "That I'm tiring right now."

"No," Kaiba said, watching her distorted form through the glass. "I understand what you're going through."

_But how can I really? _Kaiba asked himself. _I've never been raped before or kidnapped…_

Alyssa was silent for a moment. "Kaiba, I don't want that house anymore…I don't want to be alone…"

"You don't have to be," Kaiba assured her. "You can move in here. I have plenty of room…"

Alyssa pushed open the door after making the water slightly warm and peeked out at him. "Thank you Kaiba."

Kaiba quickly diverted his gaze from her. "Do you want a towel?"

"No. I want you in here and I just want you to hold me in your arms…"

Kaiba looked her in the eyes and saw that she really did want him to hold her. Under her watchful gaze, he pulled his clothes off and walked into the shower with her, letting the door close behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Kaiba watched Alyssa's chest rise and fall with each of her slow breaths. They had stayed in the shower for almost an hour, just standing there in each other's arms. Now, a couple hours later, Alyssa was fast asleep in his bed, wearing one of his shirts, lying next to him. After losing her the way he had, he wasn't sure that he wanted to close his eyes in case he opened them and she was gone.

_Am I willing to let her go again? _Kaiba asked himself, touching the hair that trailed over his pillow gently. _After everything we've gone through, can I risk losing her like this again?_

The answer was no. He couldn't risk losing her. He wanted her with him forever. He wanted to be sure that he would always see her and that he would never have to be without her for an indefinite time period. He couldn't live that way anymore.

_But will she agree with me? After everything that she's gone through for the past few days, would she agree to anything that takes away her freedom? True, she'd gain some new freedoms, but she wouldn't be the same afterward…_

He sighed and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the enormous bed. He ran a hand through his short hair as he wandered over to the window and stared out at the distant city.

_Am I even ready for this kind of thing? Dueling and business adventures I can handle and do so without questioning myself. But this…This I question myself about…_

A soft sigh made him look back over at the bed. Alyssa rolled over on the bed and moonlight lit her face. She looked so peaceful now. He wondered what she was dreaming about. If it was him that she was seeing that made that small smile appear on her lips.

_I think I'm ready for this…But there are at least five people that I have to convince before I can do anything…Gods, I don't know if I'm ready for _that _though._

"Seto…" Alyssa whispered in her sleep and Kaiba returned to her side.

He watched her until he too fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_A/N: Any idea of what Kaiba is planning? Tell me! Tell me! REVIEW ME PEOPLES! Next update in about a week's time…I hope._


	37. Chapter 37

_A/N: Whew! School sucks because it keeps me from keeping my promise to you guys. I am very sorry about that and the fact that the story is coming to a close in the next chapter…_

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**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

Alyssa yawned and stretched as she walked into the KC building next to Kaiba the next morning. She still felt tired after sleeping in a couple extra hours, but Kaiba didn't want to be any later for work. And he didn't want to leave her alone, so she had come to work like a good girl.

Kathy squealed like a mad woman and leaped out from behind her desk when she saw Alyssa. Alyssa found herself falling to the floor with the blue haired woman hugging her like crazy. Kaiba stepped back and looked at the scene with cold blue eyes.

"Alyssa, I'm so glad your back!" Kathy exclaimed, nearly bursting her friend's ear drum. "Kaiba was so dull without you! Don't you ever get kidnapped again!"

Alyssa hugged her friend back gently. "I never planned on getting kidnapped in the first place, but I plan on avoiding doing so again. And as for Kaiba being dull…when is he not during the work day?"  
Kathy laughed and pushed herself to her feet. "True."

Kaiba cleared his throat, making Kathy jump. "Good morning Kathy."

"Mr. Kaiba!" Kathy nervously rubbed her neck. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since the moment you attacked my girlfriend," Kaiba told her, offering Alyssa a hand up.

"She didn't attack me," Alyssa said, allowing Kaiba to pull her to her feet. "She just pounced on me. Totally different vibes."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and started walking to the elevators. "Howard, I would like a word with you in my office."

Kathy gulped and followed Alyssa to the elevator. "Mr. Kaiba, I know that what I said wasn't the smartest comment I've made about you, but I don't think that it automatically calls for you firing me."

Kaiba smirked. "I didn't say I was going to fire you."

"Then why do you want me to go to your office?"

Alyssa cocked an eyebrow at the two of them. _Is he looking for a second round with her? No…Alyssa why would you think something like that? He's going out with you. He wouldn't betray you with your best friend. Would he?_

"I simply want to talk to you about something that you might be interested in," Kaiba told Kathy, entwining his fingers with Alyssa's. "You're not in trouble…yet."

Kathy sighed in relief, breathing out an anime mushroom cloud. "That's good."

Alyssa laughed until they made it up to the sixtieth floor. She was still shaking with laughter when she walked over to her desk and watched her friend and boyfriend enter his office.

"And Alyssa," Kaiba said, poking his head back out of his office. "Can you see if your uncle is still free for lunch?"

Alyssa nodded and sat down with a small smile. "This is more like it."

She turned and looked down at the world that was moving and showed signs of never stopping.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kathy wouldn't say a word about what happened in the office when she came out a few minutes after Alyssa had watched her enter. She just smiled and wished Alyssa good luck in the future. Alyssa had let her get off the hook with a suspicious look, but made a mental note to do something to Kathy's truck when the girl wasn't paying attention.

Her uncle wouldn't say anything about his lunch with Kaiba when she met him after work. He smiled like he was pleased with something that only he was privy to the knowledge of. Alyssa glared at him and wondered what he and Kathy knew about that she wasn't to be a part of.

"Angel, look at the newest piece of gaming technology that I've created," Pegasus said, eager to move onto another topic. "Behold the latest development in virtual reality."

Alyssa stared at the large capsule in front of her. She pulled faces at her reflection. "It doesn't seem any different from other virtual reality simulators. Just bigger."

"Oh trust me. This is better." Pegasus assured her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Everything feels more real. The scents are copied perfectly and the person in the machine will experience everything as it would normally be in the real world."

Alyssa shrugged. "It still sounds like every other virtual reality simulators."

Pegasus smiled. "Well, how about I let you try it out yourself before I open it up to the public?"

Alyssa smiled at her uncle. "I would like that. And I'll give you a totally honest opinion of the whole thing." Then her expression became serious. "Tell me you didn't put someone who looks like me in there."

Pegasus shrugged this time. "I might have given some of the women some of your finer qualities as I gave some of the men some of Kaiba's and Yugi's qualities. But no one really looks like anyone."

"Uh-huh…" Alyssa looked at the machine suddenly unsure if she wanted to be in it. "Is it safe to be in there? No one's going to pull the plug and trap me in there for the rest of time, are they?"

Pegasus shook his head. "Goodness no! I'm personally going to watch the people at the controls to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"Good." _I feel so safe now…_

_**He's not very convincing is he?**_

_No._

Pegasus removed his arms from around Alyssa's shoulders and walked over to the simulator. "Enjoy your stay in the world of virtual reality, Angel."

Alyssa sat on the side of the simulator and swung her legs over the side of it and looked over at her uncle. "After I'm done, I'm going to help you with the name of this thing."

Pegasus smiled and closed the door behind her. Alyssa felt wires attach to her forehead and closed her eyes before the place filled with light. She shielded her eyes with her hand and when she lowered it, she found herself in a world bustling with people.

"Wow…" she whispered. "I could really have fun here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba stopped talking when he realized that the three people in front of him were just staring at him like statues. They hadn't said a word since he started talking and he wasn't sure if they could remember how to speak now that he had shut his mouth. Carrie was glaring at him and her hands were twitching. Tristan had his arms crossed and was studying him like he could see right through Kaiba. Yugi looked like he was thinking about something serious.

"So, do you have any objections to my idea?" Kaiba asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Hell yeah I object!" Carrie snapped. "I don't want you anywhere near my cousin even if she loves you to death!" She smirked. "I hope you die!"

"Carrie!" Yugi snapped in a voice that Kaiba recognized as the person from the Puzzle. "You shouldn't wish death on anyone."

Carrie growled. "But he is a man whore! He broke my cousin's heart a thousand times before he got the brains to keep someone around longer than a night. I can't just let him waltz up to her and ask her to bind herself to him forever!" Her eyes widened. "He could ask her to have his children next! We don't need any mini-Kaiba demons running around, Yami! We don't!"

"Alyssa is an adult and she can do whatever she wants without the permission of her friends and family," Yami stated and his eyes never left Kaiba's face.

"Which is exactly why I don't understand why you came to talk to us, Kaiba," Tristan said. "Why'd you feel the need to talk to us about this? You could just as easily go to Alyssa and ask her. It wouldn't have made any difference."

"I thought you'd like to know what I was doing before I took your friend away from you," Kaiba muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I thought you'd like to tell me what you thought about the idea before Alyssa agreed to anything. Maybe you could convince me that I am stupid for thinking about something like this so early in our relationship."

Carrie glared at him again. "You don't want to do this with my cousin because then you'll be related to me and I will have more than one reason to kick your ass. You will be hurt constantly and no restraining order will keep me away from you. I've had too many years of Alyssa's tears on my shoulder and I'm not about to forgive and forget so soon." She leaned forward. "You're a dead man walking on thin ice, Seto Kaiba!"

"Carrie, he knows that he's done wrong to Alyssa and that we're in the process of forgiving him, but we can't stop him from doing what he sees as right in his relationship with Alyssa," Yami said, being the smartest and least biased one of the group. "We need to take a step back and let Alyssa do what she wants, even if we can't understand why she'd do it. Two lovers can't be separated by anything…including their friends." He smirked. "Priest Seto and Priestess Neko couldn't…"

Kaiba winced on the inside. He hated being reminded that he had been part of something in Ancient Egypt. There was no way he was going to get roped into believing anything about that past when he had a future to worry about.

"So, besides the runt, does anyone have a problem with me asking Alyssa?" Kaiba demanded, studying the other two.

"I'm not saying that I completely like the idea, but I can understand the reasons behind your desire to ask her," Tristan mumbled, letting his hands drop to his sides. "I don't really have a problem with you asking her. Just don't hurt her."

"Or we'll hurt you!" Carrie hissed through clenched teeth.

Kaiba ignored her and looked at Yami. "Yugi?"

Yami shook his head. "I don't see why you shouldn't ask her. It shouldn't matter what we say, anyway. If you want her as badly as you seem to, nothing should stop you." His eyes flashed. "I think you should go and ask her now."

"There's a problem with that," Kaiba admitted. "I don't know where she is."

Carrie laughed. "But I do."

"Then tell him," Tristan ordered.

"No!" Carrie walked backwards. "I'm going to kidnap her and hide her from Kaiba forever. I'll even make her change her name to something boring like Karen or Michelle. Something that he would never expect Alyssa to be named."

Carrie attempted to run away from them all, laughing like a mad woman, but she fell flat on her face after tripping on her own feet. Tristan reached down and grabbed her before she could take off again.

"Now Carrie, you don't have to be happy about it. You just have to let Alyssa decide what she wants to do with her life, regardless of what any of us think," he said slowly like he was explaining something to a child. "That's why we're her friends."

Carrie pouted and crossed her arms. "I don't like it Tristan…I really don't."

"I know Munchkin."

Carrie sighed and her gaze flitted in Kaiba's direction again. "She should be hanging out with Uncle right now, downtown. He wanted her to test out the newest virtual reality simulator for him because he thought escaping reality for awhile would do her some good."

Kaiba knew that it had probably taken a lot out of the girl to tell him what he needed to know about Alyssa's whereabouts. He knew of her dislike for him and he knew that he had earned it and it wasn't like he didn't dislike her back. The only thing they had in common was Alyssa, who they both loved in their own way and would do anything to make sure she was happy and safe after everything she had been through. Even if Alyssa was always getting into trouble and Carrie was never in the spotlight, it still mattered to the girl and Kaiba respected that.

He bowed his head slightly and turned his back on them, walking back towards his shiny car.

"And Kaiba," Tristan called after his back. "We were being serious when we said that we'd kick your ass if you hurt Alyssa! So watch what you say or do to her!"

Kaiba didn't acknowledge the man's words physically, but he did mentally. And he planned to make sure that Alyssa was happy no matter what happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alyssa blinked against the light as the door-lid thing to the simulator was opened. She hadn't expected it to be so bright out in the real world. If she was back in the real world at all.

"Well, how was it?" Pegasus asked, offering her a hand out of the simulator. "Was it better than what Kaiba has created?"

"Industrial Illusions definitely beat Kaiba Corporations in the virtual reality simulators department," Alyssa declared with a smile. "Everything felt so real and the food tasted delicious in most cases. If this is the prototype, I'd love to see the actual simulator."

Pegasus beamed. "I'll have my company start producing the actual simulators first thing tomorrow." He hugged her when she was out of the machine. "I'm so glad that you loved this little escape from reality."

Alyssa smiled. "Uncle, I know what you're doing."

Pegasus looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uncle, I know that you're trying to make me feel better about life after what happened with me and Sieg during my kidnapping. It was horrible and I know that you want to make me feel more safe and free now that I'm back."

"Angel, I just want you to be happy. What happened to you, should never happen to a girl or anyone for that matter…If I could go back in time and stop it from happening, I'd do it in an instant."

Alyssa touched her Uncle's arm lightly. "I know you would because you love me. You've treated me as your own daughter ever since Dad and Mom died."

"To me, you are my daughter and even more special than that."

"And I love you as if you were my real father. I appreciate everything you've done for me when I was younger and now. You've made me what I am today…A confident woman with some intelligence. Thank you Uncle."

Pegasus' smile grew and he gave her another huge hug. "Now, about your housing, I -"

"Kaiba offered a room for me in his mansion," Alyssa cut across him. "He wants to keep me close and I personally won't mind living with him because it'll be so much easier to take care of Mokuba after work."

Pegasus' smile took up half of his face now and he was positively glowing with happiness. "Excellent! I can only wish you and Kaiba boy the very best in your future." He sighed. "My little Angel is growing up so fast! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was teaching you how to ride a bike and dance...What good times we had when you were just a little girl."

Alyssa laughed. "I'm still young. And you're still young enough. We can have plenty more uncle-niece bonding experiences." She glanced down when her stomach growled. "After we get some real food in our bellies."

"Didn't you have enough to eat when you were in the virtual world?"

"I hardly touched anything. I'm hungry for some real food now."

"Shouldn't you wait to see if Kaiba would like to take you out to dinner?" Pegasus asked.

"Uncle, he has meetings to go to all evening. There's no way that he'll take me out to dinner tonight." She glanced at him suspiciously. "Why? Is there something that I should know about concerning a dinner with Kaiba?"

"No. No. Goodness no." Pegasus shook his head. "You know that I let my imagination get away with me in regards to your relationship with Kaiba…Perhaps you should go to Kaiba's mansion now and tend to young Mokuba."

Alyssa checked a clock on the wall and nodded. "I guess I should. He's going to be getting home from school soon…Bye Uncle."

"I will see you tomorrow, my little Angel."  
Alyssa started walking away, letting her smile fall from her lips. _Everyone is hiding something from me and I will figure out what it is…I will…_

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_A/N: I now realize that I gave you all too many hints about what Kaiba is planning. But I felt like letting you know something that Alyssa doesn't, so my anger has mildly subsided. Please review because this is the second to last chapter for this story you love so much…Thanks! _


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N: And now the end has come…_

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**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

Kaiba didn't speak to Alyssa or Mokuba when he got home. He wandered quietly into his office and closed the door, locking it behind him. He set his briefcase down and sat down, staring blankly at his computer's monitor. He just needed a moment to think about what he was going to do tonight. He felt that he needed a moment because it was a life changing experience no matter what Alyssa said, no matter which road she took.

He had called the Ishtar family after lunch with Pegasus. He hadn't called for a lecture about what had happened in Ancient Egypt to Priest Seto and Priestess Neko and he luckily didn't get one from Ishizu because she didn't pick up the phone. Marik did.

Kaiba had known for a few years that Marik loved Alyssa and would follow her around like a puppy seeking attention whenever he was around her. He knew that what he was planning would probably crush the younger man, but he was also sure that Marik would accept it over time. Marik did want to serve the Pharaoh and Alyssa was the reincarnation of the Pharaoh's sister, so Kaiba figured that Marik wouldn't do anything to ruin everything.

"Do what you think is right Seto Kaiba," Marik had said. "I've known for some time now that Alyssa would never feel for me the same way I feel for her. The love she has for you is too great for her to ignore…I hope the two of you are as happy together as I envisioned Alyssa and I would have been…"

Everyone who knew about what was going on was encouraging him to get it over with, promising that he would be happier in the long run. They all seemed so sure that he would get the answer that he was hoping for. Then why was he so sure that he'd get the answer that he dreaded?

The answer was simple. After everything that he had done to Alyssa – parading all those women in front of her day after day and molesting her – how could he expect her to accept him as anything more than her boyfriend? True he had helped her come back to herself after she tried taking over the world, but he had nearly killed himself when things were warming up between the two of them. Then just recently, he had been the cause for her kidnapping and rape. Why would anyone want him after all that?

Could love really be enough for her to overlook everything that had gone wrong since she met him? Could the crush she had since they had been children overpower the sadness he had caused by sleeping with dozens of women?

He wasn't sure.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality with a jerk that sent papers on the desk flying.

"Shit!" he snapped.

"Kaiba?" Alyssa's voice came from the other side of the door. "Is everything all right in there?"

Kaiba nodded and then remembered that Alyssa couldn't see him through the door. "I'm fine."

"Are you hungry?" Alyssa asked. "I've made you some dinner if you want it."

"I've already eaten." It was a lie. He'd been so busy that day that he hadn't ate since breakfast, but he wasn't feeling that hungry until the smell of the food wafted through the cracks of the door.

The doorknob turned one way and then the other and then the door popped open. It had always amazed Kaiba how Alyssa could open locked doors like that. It was like no door could keep her from getting to where she wanted, no matter what.

In Alyssa's hand sat a plate of noodles and chicken in orange sauce. She had a hand on her hip and was studying him with a small frown on her lips.

"Kaiba, you haven't eaten since breakfast," she said, entering the office. "Don't think that you can lie to me because I have informants in the company and they tell me everything you do. So I know you're hungry."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and started picking paper off the floor. Alyssa walked further into the room and set the plate down on his desk away from the piles of paper and the keyboard. She bent down and gathered a number of the papers up.

"You were very busy today," she commented. "More so than usual."

"Today was an important day," Kaiba muttered, straightening in his desk chair and putting the papers back in the stack. "There were a lot of people I had to meet with to discuss something very important."

"And why wasn't I informed about it?" Alyssa demanded. "I am your secretary. It's supposed to be my job to schedule meetings with important clients. Or do you not need me to work anymore?"

She held out the papers in her hand and Kaiba took them. He couldn't tell if she sounded hurt or not. She didn't look upset.

"I need you to be my secretary."

"Then why does everyone else seem to know more about what's going on than I do? Why is everyone wishing the best for my future?"

"Because they are nice and want you to feel better after what happened." He sighed and sifted through the stack of paper, pretending to be looking for something. "And they know more than you do because I was talking to them about you."

"Oh God, what did you tell them now?" Alyssa demanded. "Did you tell them that I'm moving in with you because I wanted to wait awhile to tell them about that…"

Kaiba shook his head and set the stack down. "It wasn't about that, but several of them already knew that you were going to be living with me when I called that realtor and told her that you weren't going to be buying that house after all. She sounded very disappointed but said that someone outbid you anyway. She'll want the deed back."

"She can have it. That house wasn't really what I was looking for," Alyssa admitted. "Yeah, it was small enough for me to manage it and it was close to work, but it just didn't feel like a home."

"You didn't even spend a night in it with your stuff," Kaiba pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. I couldn't really picture myself in that house for years and years, raising a family or anything. It was just a house…" She smiled slightly. "But I feel like I'm home here. There are people I love all around and I don't know, but I feel safe here."

"There are twenty four guards all around the mansion of course you'll feel safe here."

Alyssa shook her head and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's not the only reason I feel safe here. I feel safe because I'm with you."

Kaiba saw her love for him in her eyes as she smiled down at him. He decided then and there to just get it over with. Either way, he was sure that she would still love him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box. Alyssa's eyes filled with confusion as she watched him stand up in front of her.

"Seto…"  
Kaiba opened the box and revealed the gold band with large emeralds. He didn't get on one knee because he knew that Alyssa hated the idea of men getting on one knee to propose to a girl.

"Alyssa, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. You are everything a man could hope for and I'm so happy that you've chosen me to love back even though I've hurt you so many times in the past," Kaiba said, staring her straight in the eye. "Will you marry me?"

Alyssa's gaze flitted from the ring and to his face several times like she couldn't believe what was happening. "I – I…"

Kaiba held his breath, feeling that the dreaded answer was going to come from her lips any second now.

"Seto, I'll marry you," Alyssa decided with a small smile.

"You will?"

"Yes. I'm going to marry you!" Alyssa exclaimed happily.

Kaiba smiled and pulled the ring out of the box, slipping it on her finger. Alyssa's smile grew as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her as passionately as he could.

Why had he ever doubted her love?

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Carrie grumbled something under her breath as she listened to Alyssa's excited voice over the speakerphone. All around her, her friends were offering Alyssa their congratulations and best wishes. All around her, people were making plans to help Alyssa get married off to some jerk who had crushed her heart too many times to count. All around her were traitors.

_And all they care about is Alyssa_, Carrie thought bitterly, crossing her arms. _All anyone ever cares about is Alyssa. Never Tristan or Joey…Hell, everyone could care less about Duke and Tea. It's always about Alyssa or Yugi…and what about me? Bad things happen to me too, but does anyone rush to my aid when the bad things happen? No because I'm not the special one. I'm the forgettable cousin who grew up on the unfriendly streets of New York City. I'm not the pretty one or the smart one, I'm just the one who gets called on for help and kicks people's asses for no reason. No one cares about what happens to me._

_**I care.**_

_Of course you care. You're me. And I still don't see why you care about me. I don't even like myself because no one else seems to. I'm invisible to them._

_**We could change that in an instant. No one would disregard you again. No one could say that they didn't know who you were. You would be the one in the spotlight, not your irritating cousin. You. Would you like that to happen?**_

_Yes._

_**Would you like payback for all the years you have suffered in silence while others have benefited from your deeds? **_

_Yes._

_**Would you like to be free to do what you want and never care about if it's wrong or right?**_

_Yes._

_**Would you like to be the only person the Pharaoh ever dreams about? The only person that he is ever concerned about? The only person he could ever love?**_

_Yes._

The world became still for a moment and a dark light flashed in Carrie's eyes. A small smirk appeared on Carrie's lips as she grabbed a fly as it flew past.

"Now it's my turn," she whispered, squishing the fly in the palm of her hand.

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_A/N: And that's the end of that. It kind of sounds like there is going to be a sequel doesn't it? Well, I haven't decided if there is going to be one or not, so don't get your hopes up too high. Thanks for being faithful readers and reviewers! ~ Scarlet_


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